THEARTOF  THE 
BERLIN   GALLERIES 


DAVID  C.  PRBYER 


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^be  Hrt  of  tbe  ^Berlin  (Balleries 

BY  DAVID  C.  PREYER 


L.  C.  PAGE  &  COMPANY 

Publishers,  Boston,  Mass. 


TITIAN 


LAVINIA 
(See  page  115) 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


jje  Srt  of  ^  ^ 
tjje  JSerlin     ^ 

Giving  a  History  of  the  Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum  with  a  Critical  Description  of 
the  Paintings  therein  contained,  together 
with  a  Brief  Account  of  the  National 
Gallery  of  XIX  Century  Art. 

By 
David  C.  Prayer,  A.  M. 

Author  of  "  The  Art  of  the  Vienna  Galleries,"  "  The  Art  of  the 

Netherland  Galleries,"  "  The  Art  of  the  Metropolitan 

Museum,"  etc. 

I  llustrated 


Boston 
L.    C.    Page    &    Company 

MDCCCCXIJ 


Copyright^  igia 
By  L.  C.  Page  and  Company 

(incorporatbd) 
All  rights  reserved 


First  Impression,  February,  19 12 


Kleeirtiyped  and  Printed  hjf 
THE  COLONIAL  PRESS 
C.  H,  Simmds  &»  Ca.,  Boston,  U.S.A. 


preface 


The  usual  reference  to  "  The  Berlin  Gallery," 
as  the  home  of  some  famous  masterpiece  of  the 
art  of  painting,  leads  at  the  present  day  to  confu- 
sion. The  expression  originated  when  the  Berlin 
Collection  of  Old  Masters  was  housed  in  the  "  Old 
Museum,"  and  Richard  Muther  entitled  his  de- 
scription of  these  paintings  (published  in  1889), 
"  The  Cicerone  of  the  Royal  Picture  Gallery  in 
Berlin." 

Since  that  time  the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum, 
opened  in  1904,  contains  the  magnificent  collection 
of  Old  Masters,  and  a  Berliner  speaks  of  the 
"  Museum,"  or  rather  of  "  the  Kaiser  Friedrich," 
when  he  refers  to  the  most  important  collection  in 
Berlin,  and  when  he  mentions  the  "  Gallery "  he 
refers  to  the  "National  Gallery"  devoted  to  the 
paintings  of  nineteenth  century,  or  so-called  Mod- 
ern Artists. 

The  same  error  occurs  frequently  in  regard  to 
the   Vienna   Imperial    Museum,    which    foreigners 


#»  AAO^  i* 


vi  preface 

still  are  inclined  to  call  the  Belvedere  since  the 
art  books  whence  they  draw  their  information 
were  generally  written  before  the  new  buildings  in 
Vienna  and  Berlin  were  completed. 

This  volume  contains  a  survey  of  the  works  of 
painters  from  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  cen- 
tury to  and  including  those  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, all  of  which  are  contained  in  the  Kaiser 
Friedrich  Museum.  And  we  continue  our  study 
with  the  nineteenth  century  painters,  whose  works 
are  displayed  in  the  National  Gallery. 

In  referring  to  the  many  artists  mentioned  I 
have  rarely  mentioned  biographical  incidents,  for 
these  are  generally  well-known.  But  I  have  en- 
deavoured to  give  with  each  a  succinct,  critical 
statement  to  indicate  their  relative  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  art. 


fntrobuctton 


Berlin's  most  imposing  buildings  are  grouped 
at  the  western  end  of  the  island  formed  by  the 
Spree  and  its  arm,  the  Kupfergraben.  Here  one 
faces  first  the  magnificent  Imperial  Palace,  then  to 
the  left  the  Dom.  Through  the  little  park,  the 
Lustgarten,  fronting  the  Dom,  we  approach  the 
first  one  of  the  Museum  buildings  which  contain 
the  Royal  and  National  treasures  of  art  and 
antiquity. 

This  Old  Museum  was  the  first  home  of  the 
works  of  art  owned  by  the  Prussian  royal  house, 
which  by  royal  decree  were  selected  in  1820  from 
various  castles  and  palaces  for  public  exhibition. 
This  building,  designed  by  the  architect  Schinkel, 
was  opened  in  August,  1830.  The  growth  of  the 
museum's  collections,  in  the  course  of  years,  de- 
manded larger  quarters,  and  the  New  Museum  was 
built  in  architectonic  harmony  and  completed  in 
1855. 

The  establishment  of  a  Gallery  for  XIX  century 


vm 


fntro&ucdon 


lusfyarfen- 
THE    MUSEUM    GROUP. 


irntrot)ttction  ix 

Art  in  1861  led  to  the  erection  of  the  National 
Gallery,  an  edifice  in  the  form  of  a  Corinthian 
temple,  which  contains  that  collection  of  modern 
paintings  to  the  consideration  of  which  the  last 
chapter  of  this  book  will  be  devoted. 

A  further  extension  of  the  museum  group  was 
had  in  the  completion  of  the  Pergamon  Museum, 
in  1901,  where  the  great  altar  of  Pergamon,  the 
products  of  the  Schliemann  excavations,  and  other 
plastic  antiquities  are  found. 

At  the  extreme  end  of  the  Spree  island  stands 
a  large  triangular  building  in  Italian  Baroque  style, 
the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum.  This  was  built  be- 
tween 1897  and  1903  and  opened  to  the  public 
in  October,  1904.  The  left  wing  of  the  lower  floor 
is  devoted  to  one  of  the  most  important  collections 
of  early  Christian  and  Byzantine  Sculpture,  as  well 
as  examples  of  early  Persian  and  Mohammedan 
art.  The  right  wing  contains  examples  of  German 
Sculpture  of  the  Middle- Ages  and  the  Renaissance. 
Among  these  we  find  displayed  the  altar-paintings 
and  easel  pictures  of  the  German  Primitives.  The 
outer  rooms  of  this  wing  contain  the  works  of 
Italian  sculptors  of  the  fifteenth  and  sixteenth  cen- 
turies. In  the  Basilica,  on  the  axis  of  the  building, 
we  find  among  much  statuary  many  Italian  altar- 
pieces  which  for  their  large  size  could  not  find 
room  in  the  upper  galleries.     In  two  large  rooms 


X  fnttoDuction 

in  the  rear  of  the  building  is  displayed  the  collec- 
tion of  coins  and  medals  which  must  be  regarded 
as  the  nucleus  of  all  the  royal  collections,  and  had 
already  been  founded  in  the  sixteenth  century  by 
the  Elector  Joachim  II. 

The  upper  floor  of  the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum 
concerns  us  most.  Here  we  find  the  collection  to 
the  description  of  which  the  greater  part  of  this 
book  is  devoted.  About  twelve  hundred  easel-pic- 
tures offer  an  opportunity  for  the  systematic  and 
chronological  study  of  the  most  important  schools 
of  painting.  The  various  Italian  schools,  the 
Flemish  and  Dutch,  and  the  German  schools  are 
well-nigh  completely  represented.  The  French, 
English  and  Spanish  schools,  however,  are  but 
sparsely  shown.  The  hanging  arrangement  is  ex- 
cellent. The  Italian  schools  develop  chronologi- 
cally in  the  galleries  starting  on  the  left,  or  Spree 
side  of  the  building  from  the  entrance  balcony,  and 
the  Netherland  schools  in  the  galleries  starting  from 
the  right  side  of  the  entrance  balcony.  We  will 
not  follow  the  official  guide,  which  in  its  endeavour 
to  show  us  the  paintings  in  a  single  round  of  the 
galleries,  starts  with  the  early  Flemings  and  after 
reaching  the  rear  rooms  goes  on,  through  the 
Tiepolo  room  (48),  and  shows  the  Italian  section 
historically  backwards.  We  will  begin  with  the 
Italian  Primitives,  and  after  reaching  the  Tiepolo 


fntro&ttction  xi 

room,  the  Spanish  room  (49),  and  Room  50,  re- 
trace our  steps,  view  the  German  Primitives  down- 
stairs, and  then  proceed  as  systematically  through 
the  right,  or  Dutch  and  Flemish  wing,  to  end  with 
the  Thiem  Collection  in  Gallery  51. 


Contents 


Preface 
Introduction 
I.    The  Kaiser  Friedrich   Museum  —  His- 
tory OF  THE  Collection 
II.    The  Italian  Paintings 

III.  The  Spanish  Paintings 

IV.  The  French  Paintings 
V.    The  English  Paintings 

VI.    The  German  Paintings 
VII.    The  Dutch  and  Flemish  Paintings 
VIII.    The  Royal  National  Gallery 
Bibliography        .... 
Index 


PAGE 

V 

vii 


I 
8 
139 
151 
160 
166 
201 
259 
317 
319 


%iBt  of  IFUustrations 


# 

PliATB  PAGB 

Titian.  —  Lavinia Frontispiece 

Plan  of  the  Museum  Group viii 

Plan  of  the  Kaiser  Frbedrich  Museum      .       .  5 
I    DoMENico  Veneziano.  —  Portrait     of     a     Young 

Woman 24 

n    Sandro  Botticelli.  —  Madonna    with    the    Child 

and  Angels 50 

III  PiERO  Pollaiuolo.  —  Annunciation    ....  54 

IV  LucA  SiGNORELLi.  —  Pan  and  the  Shepherds  .       .  59 
V    Melozzo  da  Forli.  —  Genius  of  Logic     .       .       .  62 

VI  Andrea  Mantegna.  —  Presentation  in  the  Temple  65 

Vn  Vincenzo  Foppa.  —  Lamentation  of  Christ      .       .  68 

VIII  Carlo  Crivelli.  —  St.  Magdalene     .       .       .       .  75 

IX  Gaudenzio  Ferrari.  —  Annunciation        .       .       .108 

X  Velasquez.  —  Female  Portrait 144 

XI  Alonso  Cano.  —  St.  Agnes 148 

XII  Pierre  Mignard.  —  Portrait  of  Marie  Mancini     .  155 

XIII  Berthold.  —  Mary    and    the    Child. —  St.    Peter 

Martyr 169 

XIV  Master  of  the  Life  of  Mary.  —  Mary  in  the 

Rose-arbour 171 

XV    Hans  MuLTSCHER.  —  Birth  of  Christ        .       .       .175 
XVI    Martin  Schongauer.  —  Birth  of  Christ  .       .       .177 
XVII    Albrecht     Duber.  —  Portrait     of     Hieronymous 

Holzschuher 181 

XVIII    Hans  Baldung  Grien.  —  Head  of  a  Grey-beard   .     183 
XIX    Hans  von  Kulmbach.  —  Adoration  of  the  Kings    .     185 
XX    Hans  Burgkmair.  —  St.  Barbara  .187 

XXI    Albrecht  Altdorfer.  —  Rest    on    the    Flight    to 

Egypt 189 

XV 


XVI 

PLATJB 

XXII 

XXIII 

XXIV 

XXV 
XXVI 

XXVII 

XXVIII 

XXIX 

XXX 

XXXI 

XXXII 

XXXIII 

XXXIV 

XXXV 

XXXVI 
XXXVII 


XXXVIII 

XXXIX 

XL 

XLI 

XLII 

XLIII 

XLIV 

XLV 

XLVI 

XLVII 


Xist  of  irilustrattons 

PAOB 

Lug  AS  Cranach,  the  Elder. — Rest  on  the  Flight 

to  Egypt .       .     191 

Christoph    Amberger.  —  Portrait    of    Emperor 

Charles  V 195 

Hans    Holbein,    the    Younger.  —  Portrait   of 

Georg  Gisze 198 

Jan  van  Eyck.  —  Singing  Angels  ....  204 
Rogier  van  der  Weyden.  —  Beheading  of  John 

the  Baptist 214 

Dirk  Bouts.  —  Paschal  Feast  .  .  .  .219 
Aelbert  Bouts.  —  Annunciation  .  .  .  .220 
Maarten  van  Heemskerk.  —  Portrait  of  a  girl  223 
QuENTiN  Massys.  —  Mary  with  the  Child  226 

Peeter  Paul  Rubens.  —  Portrait  of  a  Child  of 

the  Master 231 

CoRNELis  DE  Vos.  —  Daughters  of  the  Artist  234 
Frans  Hals.  —  Nurse  and  Child  .       .       .       .237 

Rembrandt.  —  Self -Portrait 241 

Jan  Vermeer  van  Delft.  —  Lady     with     the 

Pearl  Necklace 251 

Nicolaas  Maes.  —  Peeling  Apples  .  .  .  253 
Peter  Cornelius.  —  The  Recognition  of  Joseph 

and  His  Brethren 282 

Plan  of  the  National  Gallery  .  .  ,284 
Adolph    Menzel.  —  Tafelrunde    in    Sans-souci, 

1750 285 

Franz  von  Defregger.  —  Return  of  the  Tyroler 

Reserves  in  1809 287 

Karl  Buchholz.  —  Springtime  in  Ehringsdorf  288 
Rudolf  Henneberg.  —  The  Wild  Hunter  .  290 
Franz  Kruger.  —  Prince  Wilhelm  and  the  Art- 
ist         I     .       .     292 

Karl  Friedrich  Schinkel.  —  Ideal  Landscape  294 
Arnold  Bocklin.  —  Springday  .  .  .  .299 
Arnold  Bocklin.  —  The  Hermit  .  .  .  .301 
Anselm  Feuerbach.  —  Medea's  Flight        .  304 

Franz    von    Lenbach.  —  Portrait    of    Professor 

Mommsen 3^1 


Wi}t  art  of  t^t 
^Berlin  <g>allfm0 


CHAPTER    I 

THE    KAISER    FRIEDRICH    MUSEUM  —  HISTORY    OF 
THE    COLLECTION 

The  collection  of  paintings  of  the  Kaiser 
Friedrich  Museum  had  its  beginning  only  a  few 
years  before  the  London  National  Gallery  was 
started  when  the  Angerstein  Collection  was  bought 
by  the  British  nation  in  1824.  In  1820  King 
Friedrich  Wilhelm  III  of  Prussia  decided  to  have 
a  selection  made  of  the  principal  Old  Masters  that 
had  been  collected  by  his  ancestors  as  far  back  as 
the  Great  Elector,  and  which  were  kept  in  the 
palaces  and  castles  at  Berlin,  Potsdam,  and  Char- 
lottenburg. 

Gustav  Friedrich  Waagen,  the  early  German 
art  student,  who  had  been  commissioned  with  the 
selection,   chose  three  hundred   and   seventy-eight 


.  at .  : .  ^H  |ltt  Of  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

'    •  "^  *  V*  <    •       '.  ..'.'■' 

paintings,  to  which  were  added  seventy-three  from 
the  Giustiniani  Collection  of  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  paintings  which  had  been  bought  in  Paris 
in  1815  for  540,000  francs. 

The  next  year,  1821,  the  Prussian  Government 
purchased  for  700,000  Thalern  ($420,000)  the 
collection  of  the  Englishman  Solly,  who  had  for 
years  resided  in  Berlin,  where  he  had  been  engaged 
in  a  lucrative  trade  with  England  in  ships-timber. 
Solly,  through  his  agents,  had  been  able  in  a  time 
when,  following  the  Revolution  and  the  Napoleonic 
wars,  all  property  was  depreciated,  to  acquire  three 
thousand  pictures  at  very  low  prices.  Of  course 
many  of  these  were  of  little  value,  but  six  hundred 
and  seventy-seven  were  set  aside  by  Waagen  as 
worthy  of  exhibition. 

The  Royal  castles  had  contributed  especially 
Flemish  and  Dutch  cabinet-pieces  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  as  well  as  some  fine  Italians  of  the 
Cinquecento,  including  a  Correggio,  and  a  few 
French  and  German  paintings.  The  Giustiniani 
pictures  belonged  practically  to  the  Italian  Seicento, 
while  the  Solly  selection  gave  a  concise  review  of 
the  historical  development  of  the  Italian  schools. 
The  Primitives  were  especially  strong,  and  to-day 
these  are  nowhere  so  comprehensively  shown,  out- 
side of  Italy.  The  greatest  treasure  of  the  Solly 
collection,  however,  was  the  set  of  six  wings  of 


Zbc  *Raiser  ffrie&rtcb  /Museum         3 

the  famous  Ghent  Altarpiece  of  Hubert  and  Jan 
van  Eyck,  which  Solly  only  a  few  years  before 
had  bought  for  one  hundred  thousand  francs. 

After  the  collection  had  been  arranged  and  had 
been  opened  for  public  exhibition  in  the  Old 
Museum  in  1831,  Director  Waagen,  who  remained 
in  charge  until  his  death  in  1868,  patiently,  but 
assiduously  laboured  to  give  the  Berlin  Museum 
the  character  which  it  has  to  this  day  retained, 
and  in  which  it  excels  any  museum  in  existence, 
except  perhaps  the  National  Gallery  —  that  of- a 
complete  presentation  of  the  historical  development 
of  the  art  of  painting  from  its  earliest  beginning 
until  the  end  of  the  eighteenth  century.  To  this 
end  he  constantly  endeavoured  to  fill  up  the  gaps, 
and  he  even  succeeded  in  adding  several  master- 
pieces to  the  collection.  With  the  meagre  means 
which  the  government  provided  for  the  purpose, 
and  against  the  strong  competition  of  the  London 
National  Gallery  whose  purse  was  better  filled,  he 
still  secured  works  as  the  "  Madonna  Enthroned," 
by  Andrea  del  Sr.rto,  for  45,000  francs  at  the 
Lafitte  sale  in  Paris,  in  1836;  the  "  St.  Ai  thony," 
by  Murillo;  Titian's  "  La vinia  " ;  Raphael's  "  Ma- 
donna Terranuova,"  which  he  bought  in  Naples  in 
1854;  and  the  beautiful  altarpiece  by  Moretto. 

More  liberal  support  came  to  the  Gallery  after 
the  Franco-Prussian  war,  when  all  the  Museums 


4        Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

were  placed  under  the  protectorate  of  the  Crown 
Prince  Friedrich  Wilhelm,  and  JuHus  Meyer  with 
Wilhelm  Bode  were  appointed  directors. 

The  first  act  of  the  new  directorate  was  the  pur- 
chase of  the  finest  private  collection  in  Germany, 
that  of  Barthold  Suermondt  of  Aachen,  for  which 
the  government  made  a  special  appropriation  of 
340,000  Thalern  ($204,000).  This  brought  an 
addition  of  two  hundred  and  nineteen  paintings, 
principally  of  the  seventeenth  century  Dutch  Little 
Masters,  together  with  a  number  of  German  and 
Spanish  pictures.  By  the  exclusion  of  mediocre 
work  and  the  addition  of  important  examples  the 
numerical  strength  of  the  museum  collection  re- 
mained the  same,  but  its  artistic  value  was  meas- 
urably heightened.  Thus  by  private  purchases 
were  added  during  the  seventies  three  Rembrandts, 
notably  his  "  Anslo,"  Diirer's  "  Madonna  with  the 
Finch,"  a  large  altar-piece  by  Crivelli,  the 
"  Andromeda  "  and  the  "  Bacchanal,"  by  Rubens, 
and  many  others. 

The  founding  of  the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum 
Association  in  1896  materially  aided  Doctor  Bode, 
who,  on  the  death  of  Julius  Meyer,  had  become 
sole  Director,  to  purchase  further  valuable  can- 
vases. His  energetic  leadership  has  steadily  in- 
creased the  artistic  quality  of  the  collection  without 
having  lost  sight  of  its  educational  character.     To 


XTbe  Ikatser  ifriebrtcb  /iDuseum         s 

him  alone  is  owing  the  Rembrandt  Room  with 
twenty-two  examples.  Diirer,  of  whom  no  work 
was  shown  before  1880,  is  now  represented  with 
seven  important  examples.     Dr.   Bode's  profound 


THE    KAISER   FRIEDRICH  MUSEUM, 

scholarship  and  expertism  has  also  resulted  in 
making  the  Berlin  collection  the  most  reliable  for 
its  attributions. 

The  opening  of  the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum, 
in  1904,  was  the  occasion  for  the  gift  of  the  James 


6        Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  (3allertes 

Simon  collection  of  a  number  of  selected  early 
Italian  and  early  Netherland  works,  and  of  the 
Adolf  Thiem  collection  of  seventeenth  century 
Dutch  art. 

The  Galleries  in  the  Order  of  Our  Study 

R.  29  —  Italian  paintings  of  the  14th,  and  the  first 

half  of  the  15th  centuries. 
R.  30  —  Florentine  paintings  of  the  15th  century. 
R.  31  —  Sculptures  of  the  della  Robbias. 
R.  32  —  Sculpture    in    marble    of    Donatello    and 

Desiderio,  and  old  Florentine  paintings. 
R.  33  —  Italian  Bronze-reliefs. 
R.  34  —  Ferrarese  and  Bolognese  paintings. 
R.  35  —  Lombard  paintings. 
R.  64  —  The  Carpets  after  Raphael's  Cartoons. 
R.  38  —  Florentine  paintings  of  the  15th  century. 
R.  37  —  Umbrian   and    Paduan   paintings    of   the 

15th  century. 
R.  41,  44,  43  —  Venetian   paintings    of    the    15th 

century. 
R.  42  —  Venetian    and    Lombard    sculpture,    and 

Venetian  paintings. 
R.  40  —  Florentine  sculpture  of  the  15th  century 

in  marble. 
R.  39  —  Collection  James  Simon. 
R.  36  —  Italian  bronze  sculpture. 


Ube  'Raiser  iFdebrtcb  /Museum         7 

R.  45  —  Florentine  paintings  of  the  16th  century. 
R.  46  —  Venetian  paintings  of  the  16th  century. 
R.  47  —  Italian  paintings   of   the    17th    and    18th 

centuries. 
R.  48  —  Tiepolo  Room. 
R.  49  —  Spanish  paintings. 
R.  50  —  French,  English  and  German  paintings  of 

the  18th  century. 
On  the  lower  floor,  in  the  section  of  German 
sculpture  (right  wing),  German  Primitives. 
R.  (iJ  —  Diirer  and  Holbein. 

R.  65,  66  —  German  paintings  of  the  16th  century. 
R.  73  —  Loan  collection. 
R.  72  —  The  Ghent  Altar-wings. 
R.  70,  68,  69  —  Netherland  paintings  of  the  15th 

and  16th  centuries. 
R.  (2,  63,  60  —  Rubens,  and  Flemish  paintings  of 

the  17th  century. 
R.  61  —  Loan  collection. 
R.  59,  58  —  Frans  Hals,  and  Dutch  paintings  of 

the  17th  century. 
R.  57  —  Rembrandt. 
R.  56,   54,   53,   55,   52  —  Dutch  paintings   of  the 

17th  century. 
R.  51  —  Adolf  Thiem  collection  and  Flemish  paint- 
ings. 


CHAPTER   II 

THE   ITALIAN    PAINTINGS 

The  distinctive  character  of  the  BerHn  Museum 
of  Old  Masters  lies  in  its  educational  value.  With 
fewer  masterpieces  of  the  most  famous  painters 
than  are  found  in  the  older  museums  of  Germany 
it  possesses  the  widest  range  of  men  whose  work 
is  typical  of  schools  and  periods.  From  Giotto  to 
Tiepolo  each  step  of  artistic  development  in  Italian 
art  is  shown,  and  if  not  at  times  by  the  most  repre- 
sentative works,  at  least  by  secondary  men  who 
indicate  the  influences  that  held  sway.  Italy  natu- 
rally is  the  place  for  the  most  complete  study  of 
Italian  art,  but  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that  one 
has  to  travel  from  place  to  place  to  study  the  va- 
rious schools  and  masters.  Many  museums  in 
Europe  also  may  boast  of  more  numerous  examples 
of  different  schools  —  Vienna  of  the  Venetians, 
London  of  the  Quattrocento  —  but  Berlin  offers 
the  opportunity  to  study  all  the  schools  most  com- 
prehensively, if  not  exhaustively.  This  makes  the 
Berlin  Museum  the  best  student  gallery  —  for  what 

8 


Ube  Utaltan  ipaintinas  9 

has  been  said  of  the  Itahan  school  refers  with  equal 
force  to  the  German,  Dutch  and  Flemish  schools. 

We  may  then  observe  here  the  primitive  strivings 
in  Italy  for  independent  art  expression  of  the 
fourteenth  century,  its  gradual  emancipation  from 
Byzantine  and  Greek  influences,  and  its  searching 
for  the  new  light  which  nature  reveals.  We  may 
follow  the  various  path-ways  travelled,  which  gave 
the  Florentines  pre-eminence  in  form  and  move- 
ment, the  Venetians  in  colour,  and  the  more  south- 
ern schools  excellence  in  decorative  description 
which,  carried  to  excess,  led  to  their  early  deca- 
dence. We  will  recognize  that  the  uncouthness, 
the  banality  of  the  earliest  men  was  but  the  sprout- 
ing of  buds  which  in  time  blossomed  in  all  the  floral 
glory  of  the  High  Renaissance;  that  although 
their  figures  are  hard,  dry,  and  destitute  of  grace, 
they  yet  show  in  the  study  of  the  nude,  in  the  ex- 
pression of  grief,  in  the  adjustment  of  drapery,  a  real 
superiority  over  the  Gothic  work  of  men  still  earlier. 

We  will  begin  then  our  walk  through  the  Museum 
with  these  earliest  performers. 

Room  29  —  Italian  Paintings  of  the  14th,  and 
THE  First  Half  of  the  15th  Century 

The  centres  of  influence  in  those  early  days  were 
Florence  and  Siena;    and  although  the  work  pro- 


lo       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JBerltn  Galleries 

duced  at  the  time  was  principally  found  on  the 
walls  of  churches  in  fresco,  still  the  example  of 
Margaritone  (1216?  -  1293?)  who  first  painted  on 
canvas  stretched  on  a  panel  covered  with  plaster, 
was  sufficiently  followed  to  have  left  such  easel 
pictures  as  are  now  found  in  transalpine  mu- 
seums. 

This  gallery  offers  us  noteworthy  examples  of 
both  these  early  schools.  On  the  long  wall  to  the 
right  we  select  first  the  Florentines. 

Cimabue  (1240?-I302?)  was  not  the  first  of  the 
Italian  painters,  as  Vasari  terms  him,  but  the  last 
of  the  Greeks  according  to  Lanzi;  for  although 
intelligent  and  skilful,  and  with  more  originality 
than  any  of  his  contemporaries  he  was  still  bound 
by  the  Byzantine  pattern. 

Italian  art  during  the  middle  ages,  such  as  it 
was,  had  been  pure  Gothic,  and  not  until  the  mid- 
dle of  the  thirteenth  century  did  the  Pisani  make 
use  of  the  Roman  monuments  and  thereby  resur- 
rect the  antique  ideal.  At  the  same  time  the 
Byzantine  influences  helped  to  turn  the  Italians 
from  the  great  Gothic  style,  and  to  ameliorate  its 
sculpturesque  rigidity  by  a  desire  for  beauty.  Thus 
art  became  chastened  and  disciplined  until  the  time 
came  when  the  dawn  of  humanism  led  the  Italian 
artists  to  turn  to  naturalism. 

It  was  Giotto   (1266-1337),  the  shepherd  boy, 


Ube  Iftaltan  paintings  n 

whom  Cimabue  found  drawing  his  sheep  on  a  rock 
with  a  sharp  stone,  who  freed  himself  from  the 
imitation  of  Goths  and  Greeks  by  copying  from 
nature.  His  treatment  of  the  chosen  subjects  of 
sacred  story  became  more  vivid,  more  varied,  more 
animated.  His  drawing  became  simple  and  natu- 
ral without  conventional  forms  or  settled  types. 
His  colouring  improved  with  varying  tints.  He 
was  the  first  to  employ  foreshortening  and  per- 
spective; and  his  rudimentary  use  of  light  and 
shade,  whereby  the  shadows  compel  us  to  realize 
every  concavity  and  the  lights  every  convexity,  was 
his  personal  contribution  that  laid  the  foundation 
for  the  supreme  excellence  of  later  Florentine  paint- 
ing: the  expression  of  form.  With  him  the  func- 
tional line  became  suggestive,  and  significant,  and 
expressive,  and  although  he  never  rendered  move- 
ment he  suggested  it  admirably. 

It  is  true  that  Giotto's  art  was  puerile,  it  held 
little  more  than  pietistic  illustration.  Ruskin's 
swinging  of  the  censer  before  the  great  son  of 
Bondone  was  a  misplaced  enthusiasm  rarely  sur- 
passed in  its  exaggerated  adulation.  There  was  a 
timidity,  an  actual  incapacity  in  Giotto's  art  which 
must  not  be  denied.  There  were  imperfections 
which  cannot  be  made  out,  as  Ruskin  did,  to  be 
the  result  of  deliberate  choice  —  they  were  in 
reality  forced  upon  him  by  inexperience.     Never- 


12       XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

theless,  Giotto  stands  out,  in  the  infancy  of  art^ 
as  the  first  great  teacher  and  leader. 

Giotto's  large  mural  paintings  in  the  church  of 
Assisi,  and  the  S.  Croce  of  Florence  impress  us 
with  their  monumental  character,  their  processional 
gravity;  and  this  same  largeness  of  conception  is 
seen  even  in  the  miniaturelike  little  "  Crucifixion  " 
(1074 A)  which  we  find  here  —  possibly  the  centre 
panel  of  a  triptychon.  The  cross  towers  high  above 
the  groups  below,  while  the  noble  body  of  the 
Christ  is  surrounded  by  ten  angels  floating  about. 
The  Magdalene  embraces  kneeling  the  foot  of  the 
cross,  and  John  supports  the  sorrowing  Mary. 
Their  features  are  no  longer  conventional  faces, 
symbols  of  pious  awe,  but  have  the  expression  of 
living  beings.  To  the  right  we  see  the  believing 
Centurion  among  the  Pharisees,  and  soldiers  and 
horsemen  fill  the  background. 

Berenson  does  not  accept  the  authenticity  of 
this  work  which,  however,  must  be  ascribed  to  the 
later  years  of  this  early  master. 

His  favourite  pupil  was  Taddeo  Gaddi  (1300- 
1366),  who,  like  all  the  others  that  followed  Giotto, 
could  not  grasp  the  largeness  of  construction  of 
the  master,  and  frequently  only  distorted  the  ex- 
pressiveness of  his  lines.  A  small  home-altar  (1079- 
1081),  which  was  also  carried  along  on  travels, 
is  by  Taddeo.    On  the  centre-panel  is  the  Madonna 


TTbe  irtallan  paintings  13 

Enthroned,  holding  the  Child  which  caresses  her 
cheeks  playfully.  The  throne  stands  as  in  a  niche, 
within  a  Gothic  arch,  and  the  diminutive  figures 
of  the  donors  are  seen  kneeling  at  the  steps.  On 
the  narrow  band  outside  the  arch  are  seen  the 
half-figures  of  fourteen  saints,  placed  one  above 
the  other,  and  representing  the  seven  holy  choirs, 
the  lowest  figures  being  the  patrons  of  Florence, 
Zenobius  and  the  Baptist.  The  wings  represent 
the  scenes  of  the  beginning  and  ending  of  the 
Christology.  In  the  upper  corners  is  found  a  most 
delicate  depiction  of  the  legend  of  the  children's 
patron  St.  Nicholas,  who  was  especially  interested 
in  opposing  the  pernicious  custom  —  even  current 
in  Italy  up  to  a  hundred  years  ago  —  of  selling 
children  in  the  Oriental  slave  markets.  We  see 
in  one  corner  a  child  serving  the  Sultan  as  page 
at  table,  when  the  Saint  suddenly  appears  flying  in 
the  air.  He  takes  up  the  child  and  carries  him 
to  the  poor  home  of  his  sorrowing  parents  —  on 
the  other  wing  —  where  a  happy  reunion  takes 
place.  The  colouring  in  purple  and  yellow,  cinnabar 
and  light-grey,  red  and  violet,  is  of  a  delicate  har- 
mony. 

Two  small  panels  (1073,  1074)  hail  from  a 
closet-door  of  the  Sacristy  of  S.  Croce  in  Florence. 
The  Academy  there  shows  twenty-two  of  these 
panels,  twelve  with  the  life  of  Christ,  ten  with  the 


14      Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  JSetltn  Galleries 

legend  of  St.  Francis.  They  were  ascribed  by 
Rumohr,  on  Vasari's  authority,  to  Giotto,  but  they 
do  not  bear  in  the  least  the  evidence  of  the  master's 
large  construction.  One  of  those  before  us  shows 
in  half -figures  the  Descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon 
the  disciples  gathered  in  a  room.  The  other  panel 
has  the  movements  more  carried  out  in  dramatic 
vigour  and  portrays  a  miracle  which  St.  Francis 
wrought  in  Florence,  when  a  child  that  falls  from 
a  window  is  restored  by  the  Saint  unharmed  to 
its  mother. 

Taddeo's  son,  Agnolo  Gaddi  (died  1396),  bears 
witness  to  the  tendency,  then  already  beginning 
to  prevail,  towards  the  obvious  that  pleases.  The 
pretty,  round  faces  of  his  half-figure  of  the 
"  Madonna  and  Child  "  (1040),  with  pretty  clothes 
and  pretty  colour  are  attractive  but  trivial.  The 
Madonna  in  half -figure  was  at  the  time  still  rare 
in  Florence. 

The  most  gifted  one  of  the  group  of  Giotto  fol- 
lowers was  Bernardo  da  Firenze  (died  after  1366), 
whose  identity  with  Bernardo  Daddi  is  problem- 
atical. Bernardo's  small  altarpiece  with  wings 
(1064),  with  the  same  subjects  as  that  of  Taddeo 
Gaddi,  shows  some  progress  made  in  the  direction 
of  landscape  perspective  and  facial  expression. 

The  Sienese  school  —  shown  on  the  right  half 
of  this  long  wall  —  lacked  the  strength  and  character 


Ube  Italian  paintings  is 

expression  of  Giotto.  It  aimed  rather  at  the  ex- 
pression of  emotion  than  at  perfection  of  form. 
This  may  be  seen  in  the  work  of  the  great  founder 
of  the  school,  Duccio  di  Buoninsegna  (1260-1339), 
who  anticipated  so  much  that  is  characteristic  of 
all  Central  Italian  painters,  down  to  Raphael  — 
the  ability  for  decorative  illustration.  Duccio  in 
one  great  artistic  quality,  in  the  buoyant  sparkle 
of  his  colour,  was  superior  to  Giotto;  but  this 
glamour  of  sensuous  appeal  cannot  be  compared 
with  the  more  lasting  power  of  the  Florentine 
master. 

A  part  of  the  predella  of  Duccio*s  large  altar- 
piece  in  the  Duomo  of  Siena  was  given  to  the 
Museum  in  1884.  It  is  a  panel-painting  in  three 
parts  (1062A),  the  centre  of  which  presents  the 
birth  of  Christ,  flanked  by  the  full-length  figures 
of  Isaiah  and  Ezekiel.  In  a  small  hut  the  Mother 
is  seen  reclining  beside  a  table  on  which  the  bambino 
lies.  Angels  full  of  joy  and  exaltation  stand  around 
and  lean  over  the  low  roof,  while  in  front  of  the 
hut  a  scene  is  shown,  in  smaller  proportions,  where 
the  Child  is  being  cared  for  by  the  women  that  have 
come  to  Mary's  assistance.  The  technique,  with 
its  greenish  underpainting  of  the  fleshstones  and 
the  gold  lines  to  demark  the  forms,  is  still  remi- 
niscent of  Byzantium. 

His  great  follower,  Simone  Martini  (1284-1344), 


i6       Ubc  Btt  ct  tbe  Berlin  GMctics 

fell  below  Duccio  in  dramatic  rendering  of  the 
gospel  themes.  He  sacrificed  restraint  to  the  ob- 
vious portrayal  of  facile  emotion.  But  his  feeling 
for  beauty,  grace  and  splendour  made  him  a  mas- 
ter of  magnificent  colour.  His  "  Deposition  of 
the  Body  "  (1070A)  formed  part  of  a  small  altar- 
piece,  whereof  the  other  parts  are  in  Antwerp  and 
in  the  Louvre.  The  anguish  and  sorrow  at  the 
grave  is  depicted  with  as  much  extravagance  as 
may  even  to-day  be  witnessed  at  an  Italian  funeral. 

His  brother-in-law,  Lippo  Memmi  (died  1356), 
was  formed  entirely  under  his  influence.  Of  the 
two  Madonnas  (1067,  1081  A)  the  latter  is  of  ex- 
quisite decorative  quality.  The  slender  Mother 
who  presses  the  Child  against  her  breast  grace- 
fully tilts  her  head  upon  her  thin  neck,  and  with 
half-closed  eyelids  has  a  dreamish  look.  The  boy, 
whose  little  foot  she  supports  in  her  hand,  has  the 
other  foot  firmly  planted  on  her  arm.  He  wears 
a  white  tunic  and  a  red  mantle  —  for  the  nude 
Child  was  not  yet  customary  —  and  he  holds  a 
scroll  in  his  left  hand.  The  childlike  and  yet 
thoughtful  expression  of  the  face  of  the  little  one 
is  remarkably  well  rendered. 

The  Lorenzetti  brothers,  Pietro  (flourished  1330) 
and  Ambrogio  (flourished  1342),  bear  unmista- 
kable evidences  of  Giotto's  influence.  Of  Pietro 
the  gallery  owns  two  scenes  from  the  life  of  St. 


XTbe  ftalian  paintings  17 

Humilitas  (1077,  1077A).  In  one  he  heals  a  nun 
and  raises  her  from  her  sick-bed,  in  the  other  we 
witness  the  dying  hour  of  the  saint. 

Pietro's  younger  brother,  Ambrogio,  is  the  re- 
nowned master  of  the  frescoes  in  the  Palazzo 
Publico  at  Siena.  Here  we  find  the  middle  part 
of  a  triptychon  (1094A)  on  which  the  birth  of 
Christ  is  shown  in  the  conventional  manner  —  for 
conventionalism  was  becoming  the  bane  of  the 
school.  Not  satisfied  to  allow  the  figures  of  their 
compositions  to  speak  for  themselves  they  empha- 
sized the  expression  of  their  emotions  by  placing 
turbid  outpourings  on  scrolls  and  signs. 

In  the  centre  of  this  wall  hang  the  life-size 
half-figures  of  Sts.  Peter,  Paul  and  John,  which 
formed  part  of  the  only  large  altarpiece  which 
Ugolino  da  Siena  (died  1339)  painted  for  the 
Church  of  S.  Croce  in  Florence.  Two  lower  parts 
with  Passion  scenes,  the  Judas-kiss  and  the  Bearing 
of  the  Cross,  are  found  in  the  London  National 
Gallery.  These  figures  are  intensely  impressive 
and  fairly  light  up  the  long  wall  with  a  golden 
glow. 

On  the  short  wall  opposite  us  we  find  a 
"Madonna"  (1072),  which  the  catalogue  ascribes 
to  Memmi,  but  which  is  superior  in  vivid  colouring 
to  Lippo's  art.  It  is  more  likely  by  his  pupil, 
Bartolo  di  Maestro  Fredi  (about  1330-1410),  prob- 


i8       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

ably  the  most  inventive  artist  of  this  time  when 
Sienese  art  had  fallen  into  disrepute.  According 
to  Italian  custom  the  Madonna  is  seated  on  the 
ground,  on  a  golden  pillow  upon  the  bright  red 
carpet,  and  her  blue  mantle  falls  down  in  rich 
folds.  The  Child,  unusually  large,  is  wrapped  in 
a  wine-red  cloth  over  a  gold-brocade  undergar- 
ment. 

A  small  procession-altarpiece,  such  as  were 
carried  at  the  top  of  a  pole  in  religious  pageants, 
showing  a  "  Crucifixion  "  (1062B),  is  by  Francesco 
di  Vanuccio  (active  1361-1388),  a  Sienese  artist 
of  little  importance. 

Another  pupil  of  Lippo  Memmi  was  Andrea 
Vanni  (1332-1414),  who  often  collaborated  with 
Bartolo  di  Fredi.  A  Madonna  with  Child,  holding 
fruit  in  its  hand  (1654),  is  by  Berenson  considered 
an  early  work  of  this  artist. 

Allegretto  Nuzi  (died  1374)  was  of  Fabriano, 
and  belonged  to  the  Umbrian  school,  although 
formed  under  Florentine  influences.  Umbrian  art 
was  even  more  illustrative  than  Sienese  art,  seeking 
only  the  mere  reproduction  of  actual  or  ideal 
reality.  The  Museum  possesses  two  small  panels, 
a  "Madonna  Enthroned"  (1076)  and  a  "Cruci- 
fixion"  (1078),  which  have  a  refined  wistfulness. 

His  pupil.  Gentile  da  Fabriano  (1365P-1427), 
may  well  be  considered  the  brightest  ornament  of 


XTbe  IFtaltan  painttnaB  19 

this  early  Umbrian  school.  His  ''  Mary  with  the 
Child  and  Two  Saints"  (1130)  is  one  of  the  most 
precious  treasures  in  this  room.  The  Madonna 
is  seated  on  a  low  arm-chair  between  two  orange- 
trees.  In  the  dusky  verdure  we  do  not  see  golden 
fruit  gleaming,  but  little  seraphim  playing  on  musi- 
cal instruments.  The  most  beautiful  maiden,  the 
daughter  of  a  prince,  Saint  Catharine,  stands  at 
one  side,  dressed  in  a  mantle  of  ermine,  and  facing 
her  St.  Nicholas  in  his  episcopal  robes  and  mitre, 
protectingly  presenting  the  kneeling  donor.  There 
is  great  naturalism,  a  feeling  for  beauty,  a  sense 
of  colour,  a  glowing  vivacity,  about  this  picture 
which  points  to  the  advanced  change  in  style  from 
Gothic  to  Renaissance  painting.  Also  the  nude 
Child,  standing  on  its  mother's  knees,  is  evidence 
of  the  transition. 

The  further  development  is  seen  on  the  long 
wall  to  our  left.  The  first  decades  of  the  fifteenth 
century  cover  the  period  of  humanism,  when  hum- 
ble faith  was  giving  place  to  self-consciousness, 
when  people  turned  from  the  ideals  of  the  higher 
world  to  the  more  vital  presence  of  life  as  it  was. 
Art  followed  the  same  course,  and  forsook  its 
neglect,  if  not  hatred,  of  every  thing  that  was  of 
the  earth  earthy,  and  found  a  new  revelation  of 
beauty  in  nature  and  in  man.  And  Fra  Angelico 
(1387-1455),  although  expressing  on  canvas  ardour 


20       XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

of  Christian  feeling  and  the  ecstasy  of  the  blessed, 
did  this  in  an  almost  earthly  festive  way. 

II  Beato  Frate  Giovanni  Da  Fiesole,  commonly 
called  Fra  Angelico,  belonged  to  the  Piagnoni  (a 
name  given  to  the  followers  of  Savonarola,  sig- 
nifying weeper,  mourner,  or  grumbler),  and  his 
goodness,  his  humility,  his  quiet  charm  of  manner, 
and  his  deep  piety  gave  him  the  odour  of  sanctity. 
But  Fra  Angelico  was  above  all  else  an  artist, 
and  a  great  painter. 

He  must  not  be  judged  by  the  few  pictures  by 
which  he  is  most  generally  known  —  by  the  inane 
prettiness  of  the  "  celestial  dolls  flat  as  paper,  stuck 
fast  to  their  gold  background,"  playing  on  musical 
instruments,  which  adorn  the  frame  of  the  Madonna 
dei  Linajuoli.  These  are  artistically  contemptible, 
inferior  stuff  such  as  even  a  great  master  may  in 
a  moment  of  weakness  produce,  but  which  cannot 
compare  with  the  consummate  power  wherewith 
he  rendered  form  in  his  great  achievements. 

At  first  Giottesque  in  his  art,  he  gradually  de- 
veloped, influenced  to  a  certain  extent  by  the  great 
Masaccio  whom  we  shall  see  later.  Without  losing 
his  early  exquisite  grace  of  line,  his  charm  of  bright 
harmonious  colour,  and  his  singular  beauty  of  facial 
expression,  his  ever-increasing  love  of  classical  art, 
and  his  observation  of  nature  gave  him  new  qual- 
ities.    His  later  work  has  all  the  religious  con- 


XTbe  Italian  ipaintin^s  21 

viction  of  his  early  years,  but  besides  he  draws 
and  models  with  a  skill  that  rivals  the  greatest  of 
his  Renaissance  successors. 

A  very  early  example  hangs  here,  a  "  Madonna 
Enthroned"  (60),  which  shows  yet  the  somewhat 
hesitating  steps.  Somewhat  more  advanced  are 
two  small  pictures  about  St.  Francis  (61,  62)  which 
are  very  attractive,  especially  for  their  light-effect, 
and  are  also  interesting  because  the  Dominican 
monk  has  rarely  pictured  the  St.  Francis  legend. 
One  of  his  latest  works,  and  that  one  of  his  master- 
pieces, will  be  seen  further  on,  in  the  Donatello 
Room. 

Fra  Filippo  Lippi's  (1406-1468)  "Mary  as 
Mother  of  Consolation"  (95),  with  its  crowd  of 
virginal  faces,  is  as  characteristic  of  this  artist  as 
the  works  we  shall  see  later.  But  this  panel  may 
not  be  regarded  as  entirely  by  his  own  hand,  and 
the  assistance  of  pupils  must  be  conceded.  The 
merry  f rater  was  pastor  of  the  nun-cloister  of 
Prato,  and  so  popular  with  his  flock  that  all  would 
gladly  serve  as  models  for  his  pictures,  from  which 
sad  scandals  resulted. 

An  early  Veronese  was  Vittore  Pisano,  called 
Pisanello  (1385-1455),  who  was  associated  with 
Gentile  da  Fabriano  in  the  decoration  of  the  Ducal 
Palace  at  Venice.  The  small  tondo  "  Adoration 
of  the  Magi "    (95A)   shows  the  ceremonial  visit 


22       Ube  Htt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

of  the  Kings  with  all  their  gorgeous  retinue.  The 
painting  has  been  sent  from  pillar  to  post  as  far  as 
its  attribution  is  concerned,  but  careful  research 
has  fully  established  its  being  by  Pisanello.  The 
admirably  disposed  landscape-background  raised  the 
first  doubt  as  to  its  authenticity,  but  various  de- 
tails, the  elaborate  mantle  of  the  page  with  his 
back  to  us,  the  animals,  notably  the  camel  in  the 
shed,  are  found  in  signed  drawings  by  Pisanello, 
which  leaves  no  doubt  as  to  its  origin.  The  high 
tree  in  the  middle-distance  is  a  botanical  curiosity. 
The  rear  view  of  the  horse  is,  however,  typical, 
for  Pisanello  was  considered  by  his  contemporaries 
a  great  horse  painter. 

Another  "Adoration  of  the  Magi"  (5)  is  by 
Antonio  Vivarini  (active  1435-1470),  of  Murano, 
one  of  a  large  family  of  painters  on  that  outlying 
Venetian  island.  This  early  work  was  painted 
about  1440.  The  Kings  descend  from  the  reddish- 
shimmering  city  towards  the  quiet  valley  where  the 
humble  hut  is  surrounded  by  the  golden  shower 
of  nature's  beauties. 

At  the  exit  wall  we  must  still  note  two  Sienese 
artists  of  this  time.  Stefano  di  Giovanni,  called 
Sasseta  (active  1427-1450),  has  a  Madonna  (63B) 
of  fine  brush  work,  but  which  in  its  mannered,  long 
drawn-out  figures  is  exceedingly  distasteful.  He  fell 
into  an  eclectic  following  of  old  types  and  motives. 


trbe  irtalian  ffi^alnttnGS  23 

The  whimsical  Giovanni  di  Paolo  (1403-1482)  has 
a  "Crucifixion"  (1112B)  of  exceptional  interest. 
It  shows  excessive  mobility  of  the  figures  of  the 
group  on  the  right,  while  the  group  of  women 
on  the  left,  although  more  quiet,  is  also  agitated 
with  pathetic  emotions. 

Room  30  —  Florentine  Paintings  of  the 
15th  Century 

The  paintings  in  this  Cabinet  are  of  small  size, 
but  precious  products  of  the  prominent  Florentine 
school. 

Domenico  Veneziano  (1405-1461)  was  an  inno- 
vator in  technique  in  that  he  mixed  varnish  with 
the  distemper  he  used,  greatly  adding  to  the  bril- 
liancy of  his  colours.  His  "  Martyrdom  of  St. 
Lucia  "  (64)  is  a  part  of  the  predella  of  a  large 
altarpiece  now  in  the  UfHzi.  It  is  an  unique  pres- 
entation, where  the  young  saint  is  kneeling  in  the 
centre  of  a  courtyard  and  the  assassin  comes  be- 
hind her  to  bury  his  knife  in  her  back.  The  Praetor 
of  Sicily  witnesses,  and  points  directions  from  a 
balcony.  The  movement  of  the  unrushing  culprit 
is  exceedingly  well  expressed  and  is  an  artistic 
achievement.  One  should  not  forget  to  examine 
the  fine  blue-gold  frame  which  dates  from  the  fif- 
teenth century. 


24       XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerltn  Galleries 

On  the  next  wall  hangs  a  fine  pale  portrait  of 
a  young  woman  (1614,  Plate  1),  also  by  Domenico, 
which  is  very  popular.  It  used  to  be  ascribed  to 
Piero  della  Francesca,  but  in  its  colour,  and  the 
striking  individuality  of  the  face  the  true  author 
has  lately  been  recognized.  One  will  not  easily  for- 
get this  charming  profile  with  the  blond  hair  and  its 
dainty  white  cap  against  the  light  blue  of  a  southern 
sky.  The  contrast  between  the  piquant  line  of  the 
face  and  the  graceful  curve  of  the  neck  is  as  har- 
monious as  a  bel  canto.  The  hair  is  stififly  brushed 
back  according  to  the  custom  of  the  time  whereby 
the  forehead  becomes  very  prominent,  and  the 
whole  face  consists  of  clear,  light  planes  with  the 
only  colour  in  the  eyes  and  lips.  The  ear  is  here 
exposed,  indicating  that  she  is  a  young  matron, 
since  it  was  the  duty  of  maidens  to  keep  the  ear 
covered  with  the  veil  or  hair.  The  dress  is  brilliant 
in  its  gold  brocade  of  Liiccha  which  was  world 
famous.  The  fair  unknown  is  seated  on  a  balcony 
of  her  home;  her  identity  was  likely  revealed  by 
her  husband's  portrait  as  a  pendant,  which,  how- 
ever, is  lost. 

The  profile  portrait  was  first  painted  in  Northern 
Italy,  but  became  soon  popular  in  Florence,  where- 
of we  see  another  attractive  example  in  a  portrait 
of  a  young  woman  of  rare  beauty  (81).  Her 
luxuriant  blond  hair  lies  in  heavy  coils  over  the 


DOMENICO 
VENEZIANO 


PORTRAIT  OF  A  YOUNG  WOMAN 

Plate    I 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


xrbe  ftaltan  ipatnttngs  25 

back  of  her  head,  leaving  the  front  hair  to  hang 
down  freely  over  the  side  of  the  face  and  the  ear. 
The  dark  blue  under-bodice  and  the  quiet  deep 
red  over-dress  form  with  the  light  flesh-colours 
a  happy  contrast  against  the  dark  background.  This 
unknown  young  maiden  was  painted  by  someone 
under  Botticelli's  or  Ghirlandajo's  influence. 

Two  other  female  portraits  here  are  full- face. 
They  are  by  Lorenzo  di  Credi  (1457-1536)  and 
by  Bronzino  (1502-1572),  much  later  men. 
Lorenzo's  is  an  early  work,  a  portrait  of  a  young 
woman  in  a  simple  laced  bodice,  and  a  small  white 
cap  on  her  dark  hair.  A  heavy  circlet  of  coral 
with  a  small  cross  of  pearls  is  around  her  well- 
moulded  neck.  While  the  features  are  by  no  means 
beautiful  they  have  a  curious  look  of  mingled  self- 
consciousness  and  childish  ingenuousness.  The  sub- 
scription on  a  scroll  at  the  bottom  of  the  picture, 
"  noli  me  tangere,"  becomes  somewhat  mysterious 
when  taken  in  connection  with  a  citation  from 
Petrarch  which  is  found  on  the  back  which,  trans- 
lated, says,  "  What  God  willed  has  happened ;  what 
God  wills  shall  come  to  pass.  The  fear  of  shame 
is  only  pride  —  therefore  I  regretted  what  I  de- 
sired when  I  already  possessed  it."  Someone  has 
interpreted  this  as  if  the  portrait  were  that  of  an 
Italian  Margaretha  whom  her  Faust  addresses  with, 
"  Whatever  has   happened,   thou  art  pure."     The 


26       XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  GMctics 

face  of  the  young  girl  will  bear  this  out,  for  it 
has  as  puzzling  and  enigmatic  an  expression  as 
the  Mona  Lisa.  Lorenzo  was  but  twenty-three 
when  he  painted  this  portrait  and  possibly  he  may 
himself  have  been  concerned  in  the  affair. 

A  more  easily  understood,  and  thoroughly  ex- 
pressive counterfeit  is  that  of  the  aristocratic  look- 
ing Eleanora  of  Toledo  (338B),  who  in  1539  be- 
came the  wife  of  Gosimo  I  de'  Medici,  grandduke 
of  Tuscany,  who  for  forty-three  years  reigned  in 
the  Pitti  Palace.  There  she  changed  the  demo- 
cratic, informal  atmosphere  of  the  court  of  the 
commercial  city  on  the  Arno  to  all  the  rigidity  of 
the  Spanish-Neapolitan  court-etiquette  in  which  she 
had  been  brought  up.  Her  magnificent  costume, 
decked  with  pearls  and  jewels  is  in  fit  keeping  with 
the  reserved,  dignified,  even  somewhat  overbearing 
look  in  the  regular  features  of  the  princess.  The 
portrait  is  the  work  of  her  court-painter  Angelo 
Bronzino,  who  had  received  much  of  the  power  of 
his  master,  Pontormo,  as  a  portrait  painter. 
Bronzino's  portrait  of  her  husband,  Cosimo,  hangs 
next.  The  prince  is  shown  in  steel  harness,  his 
hand  resting  on  his  helmet,  which  he  had  laid  on 
the  stump  of  a  tree.  An  olive  green  curtain  serves 
as  background.  The  artist  made  numerous  replicas 
of  this  portrait. 

We  must  still  wait  for  the  next  room  to  see  the 


xrbe  irtaltan  jpatnttngs  27 

works  of  the  first  great  Florentine  painter  of  the 
Early  Renaissance,  Masaccio,  who  revealed  to  his 
age  its  new  ideals.  He  left  the  greatest  impress 
upon  the  young  men  of  his  time,  and  led  them  from 
the  pietistic  way  of  Fra  Angelico  to  a  naturalistic 
realism.  His  famous  fresco  cycle  in  the  Carmelite 
Church  of  Florence  always  remained  the  training 
school  of  Florentine  painters. 

His  follower,  Filippino  Lippi  (1457-1504),  the 
son  of  Fra  Filippo  and  the  beautiful  nun  Lucrezia, 
was  unconvincing  in  his  work  and  without  signifi- 
cance, although  his  ''Allegory  of  Music"  (78A) 
indicates  a  measure  of  invention.  A  nymph  whose 
draperies  are  ruthlessly  made  sport  of  by  the 
wind,  is  aided  by  two  winged  putti  to  harness  a 
swan.  The  lyre  of  Orpheus,  the  pipe  of  Pan,  and 
the  flute  of  Silenus  lie  on  a  shady  embankment, 
and  it  is  supposed  that  the  allegory  represents  the 
triumph  of  vocal  music  —  the  swansong  —  over 
instrumental  music.  The  attractiveness  of  the 
painting,  with  its  consumptive  delicacy,  lies  entirely 
outside  the  sphere  of  pure  art  and  in  the  realm  of 
genre  illustration. 

Filippino's  own  pupil,  RafTaelino  del  Garbo 
(1466-1524)  is  a  typical  representative  of  the 
decorative  tendency  of  the  school,  and  its  passion 
to  show  dexterity.  He  surrounds  his  ''  Madonna 
with   the   Child   and   two  music-making   Angels " 


28       Zbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

(90)  with  an  ornate  setting  of  masonry,  and  a 
mountainous  landscape  in  the  background.  It  is 
one  of  his  best  pieces.  In  the  face  of  the  Madonna, 
who  rests  her  cheek  against  the  curly  head  of  the 
sleeping  infant,  speaks  tenderest  motherhood;  one 
of  the  cherubim  has  stopped  playing  for  fear  of 
disturbing  the  child's  slumbers,  while  the  other 
softly  touches  the  lute  as  in  a  sweet  lullaby.  The 
grouping  has  almost  a  Raphaelesque  trait.  Coming 
at  the  end  of  the  century  Garbo  showed  the  serious- 
ness and  modesty  of  the  Early  Renaissance  in 
transition  to  the  freer  style  of  the  High  Renais- 
sance, still  only  with  a  glint  of  promise  unfulfilled. 
A  far  stronger  man,  and  somewhat  earlier,  was 
Verrocchio  (1435-1488),  even  greater  as  a  sculptor 
than  as  a  painter,  whose  Colleoni  Memorial  ranks 
him  with  Donatello  in  the  plastic  art.  His  search 
for  form  is  noticeable  in  his  painting,  where  the 
excessive  modelling  of  details  has  somewhat  of  a 
disturbing  effect.  This  may  be  seen  in  his  "  Mary 
with  the  Child"  (104A),  one  of  his  rare  easel- 
pictures.  The  sculpturesque  roundness  of  all  the 
parts,  the  scrupulous  separateness  of  the  fingers 
point  to  his  real  profession.  In  his  landscape-back- 
grounds, however,  he  was  a  decided  innovator,  and 
he  was  the  first  to  feel  that  a  faithful  reproduction 
of  the  contours  is  not  landscape.  He  felt  that  light 
and  atmosphere  play  an  important  part.     To  him 


XTbe  Utalian  paintings  29 

his  two  most  famous  pupils,  Perugino  and  Leonardo 
da  Vinci,  owe  their  naturalistic  treatment  of  land- 
scape. 

Contemporary  with  him  was  Antonio  Pollaiuolo 
(1429-1498),  the  greatest  scientific  artist  of  the 
Florentine  school,  who  applied  the  science  of  anat- 
omy to  the  presentation  of  movement.  He  was 
above  all  original,  borrowing  little  from  the  antique, 
and  exercised  great  influence  on  the  next  genera- 
tion. Although  he  generally  paints  hideous  faces 
and  scarcely  less  hideous  bodies,  in  his  "  David  " 
(73A)  we  find  a  marked  exception.  Here  the 
young  warrior  has  sped  his  stone,  cut  off  the  Giant's 
head,  and  now  he  strides  over  it,  his  graceful, 
slender  figure  still  vibrating  with  the  rapidity  of  his 
triumph.  There  is  lightness  and  buoyance  in  this 
graceful  youth,  as  he  stands  with  a  second  stone 
in  his  sling  ready  for  the  next  enemy. 

This  David-motif,  which  was  worked  so  often 
in  those  days,  from  Donatello  to  Michelangelo,  has 
for  its  pendant  the  presentation  of  the  female 
heroine  "Judith"  (21),  by  Domenico  Ghirlandajo 
(1449-1494).  The  Jewish  widow  is  here  placed 
with  her  maid,  who  carries  the  head  of  Holofernes, 
in  a  rich  Renaissance  corridor,  although  the  story 
calls  for  an  anxious  fleeing  from  a  tent  in  the  early 
morning.  This  was,  however,  a  conventional  pres- 
entation, and  Ghirlandajo,   who  had  not  a  spark 


30       Zbc  Hrt  of  tbe  3Betltn  (Sallerics 

of  original  genius,  only  adopted  the  best  of  what 
he  found  in  the  greater  masters.  His  only  aim 
was  to  render  bright  colour,  pretty  faces,  without 
significance  —  for  psychologically  one  could  not  dis- 
tinguish here  in  this  "  Judith  "  the  mistress  from 
the  maid.  His  work  has  an  undeniable  charm, 
is  attractive  and  delightful,  but  lacks  character. 
Only  in  his  portraits  he  rises  occasionally  above 
mediocrity. 

His  brother-in-law  and  imitator,  Sebastiano 
Mainardi  (died  1513)  shows  this  by  reflection,  for 
the  three  portraits  which  we  have  here  by  Mainardi 
are  attractive.  They  are  the  portrait  of  a  Cardinal 
(85);  of  a  young  man  (86),  with  a  far  view 
of  a  sea-port  in  the  background;  and  especially 
that  of  a  young  woman  (83),  where  the  light 
profile  comes  out  beautifully  against  a  dark  col- 
umn. 

We  must  also  halt  before  another  work  by 
Lorenzo  di  Credi,  which  hangs  next.  It  is  one 
of  his  usual  Adorations  of  the  Child  (100).  This 
one  of  the  many  pupils  of  Verrocchio,  although 
living  to  within  the  sixteenth  century,  never  forsook 
the  traditions  of  the  fifteenth.  The  picture  is  of 
an  ivory  finish,  the  excessive  care  bestowed  making 
it  finnicky  in  execution. 

From  this  room  we  pass  through  Cabinet  31, 
which  contains  the  glazed  sculpture  of  the  della 


Ube  irtaltan  paintings  31 

Robbia  family  —  the  finest  selection  of  work  next 
to  that  in  the  National  Museum  in  Florence. 

Room  32  —  Sculpture  in  Marble  of  Donatello 

AND    DeSIDERIO,    AND    OlD    FLORENTINE    PAINT- 
INGS 

Among  the  marbles  in  this  cabinet  we  find  some 
important  paintings  of  the  early  leaders,  Fra 
Angelico,  Masaccio  and  Fra  Filippo  Lippi,  the 
pioneers  of  the  Quattrocento,  who  with  Ucello  and 
Castagno  brought  forth  the  new  art  expression  of 
the  Renaissance. 

The  most  magnificent  work  of  Fra  Angelico  is 
his  "Last  Judgment"  (60),  a  triptychon,  which 
was  acquired  in  1884  from  the  collection  of  the 
Earl  of  Dudley  of  London.  In  no  work  has 
Angelico  shown  the  breadth  and  richness  of  his 
thought  as  in  this  altarpiece.  Best  known  for  the 
ecstatic  feeling  and  the  sacramental  earnestness 
which  inspired  him,  and  which  led  him  to  the  pic- 
turing of  angelic  beauty,  heavenly  blitheness,  vivid 
portrayal  of  the  blessed  and  the  saints,  we  find 
here  also  a  Dantesque  canto  on  the  pathos  of  the 
dies  irae.  The  fate  of  the  accidiosi,  gulosi,  iracundi, 
invidi,  lihidinosi,  is  depicted  with  startling  vivid- 
ness, without  the  grotesque  caricatures  we  generally 
find  in  the  work  of  the  northern  painters,  Bosch, 
Teniers  and  Cranach.    But  the  Fra  did  not  love  the 


32       XLbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Gallertea 

side  of  evil,  and  this  portion  is  subdued,  with  ever 
diminishing  figures,  and  forms  the  contrast  to  the 
procession  ^of  monks,  saints  and  angels,  entering  the 
gates  of  paradise.  Here  the  master  pours  out  his 
soul  in  the  joy  of  life  that  is  hallowed  by  faith  and 
holy  ardour.  The  rhythmic  dance  of  angels,  full 
of  heavenly  joy  and  ecstacy,  through  the  flowery 
meads  towards  the  heavenly  gates,  is  the  most  beau- 
tiful Fra  Angelico  has  ever  painted.  This  work 
was  the  culmination  of  his  art,  painted  in  Rome 
about  1450,  and  with  all  the  feeling  of  the  Middle 
Ages  it  gives  an  expression  of  this  feeling  which 
is  almost  modem. 

It  is  exceedingly  rare  to  find  an  easel  painting 
by  Masaccio  (1401-1427),  even  in  Italy,  for  his 
working-days  extended  only  over  ten  years  —  at  the 
age  of  twenty-seven  he  was  murdered  in  a  Roman 
street.  But  the  Berlin  Museum  possesses  three 
panels  by  this  young  genius. 

Almost  nothing  is  known  of  Masaccio's  life. 
The  only  estimate  we  can  form  of  him  as  a  man 
is  what  Vasari  tells  about  him,  that  he  was  very 
absorbed  and  absent  minded,  a  man  who  had  thrown 
himself  heart  and  soul  into  his  art,  and  careless 
about  temporal  affairs.  "  So  not  because  of  any 
vicious  habits  (for  he  was  a  man  of  innate  good- 
ness), but  merely  on  account  of  excessive  neglect 
of  himself,  everybody  called  him  not  Thomas,  his 


Zbc  irtaltan  Ipatntings  33 

real  name,  but  Masaccio  [a  rough  English  render- 
ing would  be  '  that  poor  wretch  of  a  Tom '].  For 
all  that,  his  readiness  and  courtesy  in  helping  others 
left  nothing  to  be  desired." 

And  yet,  in  spite  of  the  short  period  of  his  activ- 
ity, the  frescoes  in  the  Brancacci  Chapel  in  the 
Carmine  at  Florence  are  regarded  as  having  been 
an  academia  for  the  artists  that  followed.  For  no 
man  more  signally  influenced  the  art  of  the  Renais- 
sance than  Masaccio.  His  greatest  achievement  is 
that  he  was  the  first  who  practised  that  quality  in 
art,  for  which  Bernard  Berenson  has  so  aptly 
used  the  phrase:  the  giving  of  tactile  values.  As 
Berenson  expresses  it :  "I  feel  that  I  could  touch 
every  figure,  that  it  would  yield  a  definite  resist- 
ance to  my  touch,  that  I  should  have  to  expend 
much  effort  to  displace  it,  that  I  could  walk 
around  it." 

Thus  Masaccio  was  the  first  to  give  bodily  form 
to  his  figures.  Heretofore  they  had  been  flat  —  he 
gave  them  the  illusion  of  being  round.  This  new 
doctrine  of  form,  originated  by  Donatello,  was 
transferred  by  Masaccio  to  the  graphic  arts,  and 
thereby  he  led  in  that  quality  which  became  the 
strongest  characteristic  and  the  greatest  glory  of 
the  Florentine  school  —  form. 

Two  of  his  panels  in  the  Berlin  Museum  are  the 
only  remains  of  the  predella  of  an  altarpiece,  the 


34       ^be  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Gallcxics 

main  panel  of  which  is  lost,  which  he  painted  for 
the  Church  del  Carmine  in  Pisa.  On  one  of  these 
panels  we  have  an  "  Adoration  o*f  the  Kings " 
(58A),  not  as  crowded  as  Pisano's  which  we  saw 
in  the  first  room,  but  with  an  orderly  grouping  of 
exquisitely  painted  figures.  The  principal  person- 
ages are  not,  as  is  usually  the  case,  the  three  Kings, 
but  two  finely  drawn  figures,  occupying  the  centre 
of  the  scene,  and  representing  the  donors  of  the 
altarpiece,  Giuliano  di  Colino  degli  Scarsi  and  his 
brother,  in  the  costume  of  jurists  of  Pisa.  The 
manger-group  on  the  left  must  have  been  a  re- 
production of  the  manner  of  its  stage  representa- 
tion at  the  time.  The  hilly  landscape  with  its 
rolling  masses  binds  the  composition  together  in  a 
grand,  yet  restful  manner. 

In  contrast  with  this  festive  scene  the  two  views 
on  the  other  panel  (58B)  are  oppressive.  They 
represent  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Peter  and  of  St. 
John  the  Baptist.  Peter  is  being  crucified  outside 
the  gates  between  the  two  Roman  pyramids,  with 
his  head  down,  as  he  himself  desired.  John  is  be- 
ing held  down  to  earth  by  the  pike  of  a  soldier, 
while  another  soldier  swings  the  broad  sword  that 
shall  sever  John's  head.  The  action  of  the  murder- 
ing soldiers  is  very  expressive  and  has  a  high  plane 
of  reality  and  significance.  On  both  the  panels  we 
must  admire  the  strength  of  the  young  men,  the 


XTbe  ftalian  patntinoa  35 

gravity  and  power  of  the  old.  Small  as  the  com- 
position is,  it  has  all  the  breadth  of  feeling,  the 
firm  symmetry,  the  austere  simplicity  that  we  find 
in  his  large  frescoes. 

Still  more  are  these  new  elements  discernible  in 
the  third  work  by  Masaccio,  a  tondo  (58C)  with 
finely  carved  frame,  in  imitation  of  a  so-called 
"  Desco  da  parto,"  which  means  a  plate  upon  which 
presents  and  food  were  handed  to  a  woman  lying 
in  childbirth.  This  tondo  ofifers  one  of  the  first 
presentations  of  a  non-biblical  subject  ever  made. 
The  scene  shows  the  interior  of  a  house,  on  the 
one  side  a  rich  corridor,  on  the  other  the  room 
where  the  child  is  born.  In  this  room,  richly  hung 
with  tapestries,  we  see  the  mother  stretched  on  a 
couch  and  waited  upon  by  servants  and  neighbours. 
In  the  corridor  we  see*  a  number  of  women  friends 
approaching  the  door  of  the  chamber  to  offer  con- 
gratulations. They  are  accompanied  by  two  pages 
blowing  on  heraldic  trumpets  —  rather  an  incon- 
siderate noise  to  torture  the  ears  of  the  young 
mother  —  and  two  other  pages,  one  of  whom  carries 
such  a  Desco  da  parto.  The  architecture  shows 
the  new  building  style  of  the  Early  Renaissance, 
which  had  just  been  introduced,  already  in  full  per- 
fection. 

The  impression  which  Masaccio  made  upon  the 
younger  generation  of  artists  was  so  powerful  that 


36       Xlbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  (Balleries 

even  those  who  at  first  followed  the  footsteps  of 
Fra  Angelico  soon  fell  into  the  example  of  the 
great  realist.  Thus  in  the  work  of  his  greatest 
pupil,  Fra  Filippo  Lippi,  we  do  no  longer  find  the 
pietism  of  the  Dominican  monk  but  a  naturalism 
full  of  material  beauty.  Lippi's  strongest  impulse 
was  towards  expression  of  the  pleasant,  genial, 
spiritually  comfortable  joy  of  Hfe  —  as  might  be 
expected  from  one  whose  sins  and  follies  and  im- 
morality brought  shame  and  disgrace  on  himself 
and  the  religious  order  of  the  Carmelites  with 
which  he  was  connected.  At  one  time  Abbot  of 
San  Quirico,  Lippi  died  an  unfrocked  priest. 

With  Masaccio  we  find  the  first  bold  and  un- 
equivocal departure  from  the  authority  of  the 
traditions  of  art  recognized  by  all  the  followers  of 
Giotto,  the  first  unbiased  natural  inspiration  —  with 
Fra  Filippo  Lippi  we  have  the  first  direct  recourse 
to  the  individual  as  a  substitute  for  the  ideal.  He 
it  was  who  brought  the  human  type  into  art,  in 
exchange  for  that  ideal  but  conventional  type  which 
had  been  called  divine.  He  made  the  Madonna  a 
real  mother  of  a  real  baby,  and  gave  to  sacred 
personages  the  features  of  living  men  and  women. 

What  Burckhart  calls  "  the  most  beautiful  paint- 
ing in  the  Museum,"  is  Filippo's  "Adoration  of 
the  Child"  (69),  which  the  artist,  still  young, 
painted   for  the   family  chapel  of  the   Medici   in 


Ube  ftaltan  patnttnas  .  37 

the  Palazzo  Riccardi.  On  the  walls  of  this  chapel 
Benozzo  Gozzoli  had  painted  the  three  Magi  —  in 
the  forms  of  the  Medici  themselves  —  who  came 
riding  in  a  gorgeous  Oriental  cavalcade  towards  this 
altarpiece  with  its  idyllic  setting  in  an  umbrous 
woodscene.  It  was  a  new  way  of  portraying  the 
worshipping  Madonna,  away  from  the  stable,  and 
surrounded  by  the  dark,  clustering  trees  of  a  cool 
forest.  The  attractive,  winsome  face  of  the  Virgin, 
robed  in  red  and  blue,  bends  forward  over  her  grace- 
ful, delicate  hands  as  she  looks  upon  the  fascina- 
ting babe  that  lies  playfully  among  the  grass  and 
flowers.  The  little  John,  in  lambskin,  holding  a 
small  cross,  and  with  that  air  of  gentle  sadness 
which  Filippo  loved  to  give  him,  stands  a  little 
way  off,  and  the  God- father  himself  witnesses  the 
scene  from  above,  shedding  illuminating  rays  from 
the  dove  over  the  little  group  below. 

In  his  middle  period  Fra  Filippo  lost  much  of  his 
delicate  charm  because  of  his  study  of  scientific 
naturalism,  and  the  "  Madonna  with  the  Child " 
(58)  is  by  no  means  in  as  fascinating  a  mood  as 
he  displayed  again  later  on  —  for  which  remember 
his  "  Mother  of  Consolation "  in  the  first  room. 
The  Madonna  before  us  stands  in  a  niche,  the 
shell-like  top  of  which  forms  the  background  to 
her  head.  The  type  of  her  face  is  a  broad  oval, 
with   a   snub  nose,   dolorous  looking  mouth,   and 


ss       Ubc  Htt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Gallertes 

short  chin,  and  the  child  looks  rather  dropsical. 
We  note  here  also  his  principal  weakness  in  the 
bunchy,  billowy  draperies,  which  he  acquired  from 
his  first  master,  the  Giottesque  painter  Lorenzo 
Monaco. 

Room  34  —  Ferrarese  and  Bolognese  Paint- 
ings OF  THE  15th  and  16th  Centuries 

The  next  Cabinet,  33,  contains  a  number  of 
bronze  reliefs  and  statuettes.  We  turn,  however, 
to  the  large  Gallery  34,  where  the  North  Italian 
artists  are  shown.  The  study  of  the  local  char- 
acteristics and  differences  in  style  of  the  various 
schools  is  most  instructive,  and  shows  that  almost 
each  city  in  Italy  had  its  own  dialect  in  art. 

The  artists  who  worked  in  Ferrara  at  the  art 
loving  court  of  the  d'Esthe  received  their  first  teach- 
ing from  Padua,  but  soon  fasten  the  attention  by 
their  independent  development,  and  peculiar  fan- 
tastic characteristics  —  an  exaggerated,  playful, 
architectonic  detail  and  decoration;  as  well  as  the 
bright  glow  of  colours  which  they  display  even 
when  painting  in  distemper. 

The  magnificent  altarpiece  which  dominates  this 
entire  gallery  is  by  the  best  of  the  early  men, 
Cosimo  Tura  (1430-1495),  and  is  his  renowned 
masterpiece,    although   one   of   his    earliest   works. 


Zhc  irtaltan  patntinas  39 

The  monumental  throne  with  its  crystal  columns, 
ornate  carving,  flaming  marble  and  golden  mosaics, 
is  an  architectural  curiosity,  filling  almost  the  entire 
canvas,  but  showing  between  the  feet  and  through 
the  arches  at  the  sides  a  beautiful,  cool,  light-grey 
landscape  of  lagunes  and  mountains.  In  all  the 
fulness  of  this  pictorial  display  sits  the  Virgin- 
mother,  with  the  sleeping  Child  on  her  lap,  flanked 
on  the  upper  steps  by  St.  Catharine  and  St. 
Apollonia.  The  former's  hair  hangs  loose  over 
a  fine  red  garment,  the  latter's  hair  is  brushed 
back,  and  her  dress  is  of  light-green  with  a  dark- 
red  bodice,  her  face  in  full  light.  At  the  foot  of 
the  throne  stand  two  church- fathers  —  St.  Augus- 
tine with  mitre,  stole  and  crozier,  and  his  eagle, 
and  St.  Jerome  with  bald  head  and  loose  gown, 
and  his  lion.  St.  Augustine  is  reading  in  a  large 
book,  his  "  de  civitate  dei,"  and  this  city  of  the 
future  is  symbolized  and  mirrored  in  the  crystal 
globe  at  his  feet.  The  fulness  of  detail  is  astound- 
ing, and  is  owing  to  the  Paduan  influence  of 
Squarcione,  from  whom  Tura  also  acquired  the 
anatomical  insistences  of  coarse,  long  joints  and 
knuckles. 

This  extraordinary  anatomy  becomes  grotesque 
in  the  small  "St.  Christopher"  (1170C),  where 
the  child  is  scampering  on  the  saint's  shoulders, 
much  in  the  fashion  of  a  monkey.    So  is  the  mani- 


40       XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

fest  exertion  of  the  big,  strong  man,  as  he  grasps 
his  tall  staff,  too  apparently  exaggerated.  The  "  St. 
Sebastian"  (1170B)  is  colder  and  flatter  in  colour, 
and  too  knotty  and  contorted  to  be  agreeable  to 
the  eye. 

His  contemporary,  Francesco  Cossa  (flourished 
1435-1477)  is  far  milder  and  more  pleasing  in 
a  single  figure  which  we  find  here,  representing 
"Autumn"  (115A);  although  in  his  large  altar- 
pieces  he  often  showed  the  same  morbid  exaggera- 
tion. This  Autumn  picture  is  one  of  a  series  sym- 
bolically representing  the  seasons  or  the  months, 
and  must  have  been  originally  intended  for  a  pal- 
ace banquet-hall,  and  not  for  the  Session-hall  of 
the  Dominican  Inquisition  of  Ferrara  where  the 
figures  last  hung  together.  This  young  woman 
carrying  heavy  field-tools  and  a  large  branch  of  a 
grape-vine  with  luscious  bunches  is  painted  quite 
in  the  modern  way  of  Jules  Breton,  even  with 
the  same  low  horizon  of  the  landscape  which 
reaches  only  to  her  knees.  This  is  a  rolling  land- 
scape with  fertile  fields  where  peasants  till  the  soil 
and  horsemen  caper  along  the  highways. 

The  principal  one  of  this  Ferrarese  school  was 
Lorenzo  Costa  (1460-1535),  who  went  early  to 
Bologna  where  he  studied  with  Francia.  We  find 
here  two  excellent  works,  a  "  Presentation  in  the 
Temple"   (112),  and  a  "Lamentation  of  Christ" 


Ubc  f  talian  patnttnos  41 

(115).  The  Temple  presents  the  genuine  interior 
of  a  synagogue  in  which  the  details,  the  seven- 
armed  candlestick,  the  thora-roll,  are  given  with 
keen  archaeological  knowledge.  Levites  and  temple 
attendants  are  present  with  the  Holy  Family.  A 
half -nude  youth  brings  the  knife  for  the  circum- 
cision, and  a  girl  on  the  other  side  a  deep  plate. 
The  main  group  of  six  persons  stands  somewhat 
back  on  the  rising  steps  of  the  altar.  The  colour 
is  restrained  and  reserved  to  a  few  bold,  bright 
tones  by  the  side  of  which  Tura's  colours  look 
broken  and  garish.  In  the  drawing  we  find  also 
the  softening  influences  of  the  South,  in  the  slender, 
delicate  forms,  the  grace  of  movement  and  the 
charm  of  facial  expression,  as  opposed  to  Tura's 
homeliness  and  distortions. 

Of  the  Ferrarese  of  the  sixteenth  century 
Benvenuto  Tisi  da  Garofalo  (1481-1559)  still  ad- 
hered to  the  characteristic  traits  of  the  previous 
century:  the  glowing,  luminous  reds,  and  a  some- 
what fantastic  expression  in  the  landscape.  This 
is  seen  in  his  "  St.  Jerome  "  (243),  where  the  her- 
mit kneels  in  the  solitary  place;  not  one  of  his 
best  works,  however,  for  the  flesh  tints  are  de- 
cidedly smoky. 

Mazzolini  (1478-1528)  painted  often  small  cab- 
inet pieces,  wherein  he  was  more  successful  than 
in  larger  compositions.     His  small  "  Holy  Family 


42       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JBerlln  Galleries 

with  Elizabeth  and  the  little  John"  (270),  and 
"The  Boy  Jesus  teaching  in  the  Temple"  (273), 
are  finely  drawn,  although  the  heads  of  the 
Pharisees  look  much  like  caricatures.  A  large 
altarpiece  of  the  same  subject  (266),  which  Vasari 
considered  his  masterpiece,  is  too  motley  in  colour 
which  is  dry  and  hard.  Domenico  Panetti  (1460- 
1512)  followed  the  Umbrian  direction  of  Costa. 
His  "Lamentation  of  Christ"  (113)  is  rather  flat 
in  colour,  but  excels  in  the  rich  and  varied  treat- 
ment of  the  landscape. 

The  great  Bolognese  presented  in  this  gallery 
is  Francesco  Raibolini,  called  Francia  (1451-1517), 
who  according  to  Raphael  was  equal  to  Perugino 
and  Giovanni  Bellini.  He  may  be  regarded  as  an 
intermediate  link  between  the  schools  of  Florence 
and  Venice,  by  uniting  form  and  colour  in  a  tender 
harmony.  He  was  a  pure,  tasteful  painter, 
rendered  popular  by  his  quiet,  peaceful  groupings 
of  lofty,  noble  feeling,  and  by  his  meticulous 
finish.  His  early  work,  a  "Holy  Family"  (125) 
has  still  the  drawing  a  little  sharp  —  he  was  a  gold- 
smith at  first  —  and  the  colour  cold;  but  his 
"Throned  Madonna  with  Saints"  (122),  of  1502, 
is  a  fine  work  of  deep  religious  motif,  combined 
with  physical  beauty  of  the  purest  type.  It  is  not 
as  ecstatic  as  Fra  Angelico's  work,  nor  has  it  the 
insipidity  of  Perugino's  affectation. 


Zbc  Iftaltan  paintings  43 

Room  35  —  Lombard  Paintings 

In  the  small  Cabinet  around  the  Court  we 
find  a  few  interesting  examples  of  North  Italian 
painters;  who  all  were  drawn  to  Milan  where 
Leonardo  da  Vinci  exerted  his  mighty  influence. 
This  resulted  in  a  vacillation  between  their  earlier 
adherence  to  the  culture  of  the  antique  after  the 
example  of  the  Paduans  and  the  gracefulness  and 
pathetic  sweetness  of  mood  with  purity  of  line  and 
warmth  of  colour  which  later  characterized  them. 

Bernardino  Luini  (1475-1532),  sympathetic, 
charming,  devoted  to  grace,  and  most  susceptible 
to  beauty,  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
school.  A  follower  of  Leonardo  from  afar,  but 
never  his  pupil,  he  still  adapted  his  style  so  closely 
to  that  of  da  Vinci  that  their  works  have,  until 
recently,  been  commonly  confounded.  He  lacks, 
however,  intellectuality,  and  his  cloying  sweetness 
bores  in  the  end.  The  "  Madonna  with  Child " 
(217),  whereof  the  reds  are  varied  and  softly 
harmonious,  has  been  much  restored  and  lost  en- 
tirely its  original  appearance.  The  Child  is  lightly 
draped  and  lies  in  the  lap  of  its  mother,  to  whom  it 
extends  an  apple. 

More  striking  is  a  strongly  expressive  profile 
portrait  of  a  Cardinal  (55),  by  Bernardino  de  Conti 
(active    1499-1522).      The    red    cardinal's    cloak 


44      'C:be  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlm  Galleries 

stands  out  as  a  massive  block  against  the  black 
background,  while  the  triangle  of  the  face  with  its 
billows  of  flesh,  but  with  keen  features  —  pursed 
mouth,  dilated  nostrils  and  piercing  eyes  —  is  all 
the  more  luminous.  Bernardino,  together  with  Am- 
brogio  de  Predis,  represents  in  Milan  the  archaic 
tendency  of  painting  at  a  time  when  Leonardo 
for  years  had  already  been  painting  in  a  newer 
way.  A  "  Portrait  of  Margherita  Colleone " 
(208),  in  a  light-grey,  closely  fitting  gown,  with 
wide  sleeves,  and  a  white  veil  over  her  hair,  is  also 
from  his  hand. 

A  forerunner  of  decadence  was  Giovanni  Pedrini 
(active  1510-1530),  a  pupil  of  Leonardo.  His 
favourite  theme  was  the  repentant  Magdalene, 
whereof  we  have  an  example  (205).  His  only 
object  apparently  was  to  paint  the  charm  of  surface 
of  the  smooth  skin.  It  is  not  the  nude  painting  as 
we  shall  see  it  with  Correggio  and  Titian,  but  such 
as  van  der  Werff,  Bouguereau,  and  many  others 
produced  —  porcelain  bisque  with  rouge  and  cream. 
A  semi-nude  "  St.  Catharine  "  (215)  gives  him  the 
same  opportunity,  although  the  scene  of  her  mar- 
tyrdom, between  two  teethed  wheels  on  which 
the  fire  from  heaven  is  descending,  adds  some 
pathos. 

The  most  significant  painter  of  Brescia  was 
Giambattista    Moroni    (1520-1578),    one    of    the 


tlbe  f  talian  palnttnas  4S 

strongest  and  most  characterful  portrait  painters, 
but  uninventive  and  weak  in  his  altarpieces.  His 
two  portraits  of  men  (167,  193)  are  full  of  a 
modern  spirit  and  treatment.  They  are  both 
dressed  in  black,  a  fashion  which  was  then  re- 
placing the  multi-coloured  costume  of  the  past. 
With  the  black  only  green  and  white  are  used, 
besides  the  colourful  faces. 

We  find  also  in  this  cabinet  a  "  Holy  Family 
with  St.  Francis  "  (227),  by  the  principal  Ferrarese 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  Dosso  Dossi  (1479-1542), 
who  really  belongs  in  the  previous  gallery.  He 
was  richly  endowed  with  a  feeling  for  poetic  effects 
of  light  and  colour,  painted  with  ease  and  richness 
of  tone. 

Room  64  —  The  Carpets  After  Raphael's 
Cartoons 

Before  proceeding  with  our  discussion  of  the 
paintings  we  come  by  the  Balcony  in  the  large 
Gallery  64,  between  the  two  Courts,  and  view  there 
the  Carpets  that  were  made  after  Raphael's  car- 
toons, seven  of  which  are  to-day  in  the  South 
Kensington  Museum. 

Pope  Leo  X  ordered  of  Raphael  ten  cartoons, 
from  which  carpets  were  woven  in  1516  by  Peter 
van  Aelst,  in  gold,  silk  and  wool.  These  carpets 
were  used  on  festal  days  to  decorate  the  lower  part 


46       Ubc  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Gallertes 

of  the  walls  of  the  Sistine  Chapel,  and  are  to  this 
day  kept  in  one  of  the  halls  of  the  Vatican.  A 
second  series  was  woven  in  exactly  like  manner, 
which  set  came  into  the  possession  of  Henry  VIII 
of  England,  and  which  remained  until  the  death 
of  Charles  I  in  the  royal  palace  of  Whitehall.  At 
the  sale  of  the  artistic  treasures  of  the  late  king 
the  carpets  were  bought  by  the  Spanish  ambassador 
for  the  Duke  d'Alba  and  were  sent  to  Spain,  but 
in  1823  they  came  back  to  England  where  in  1844 
they  were  bought  for  the  Berlin  Museum. 

A  later  repetition  of  six  carpets  of  the  series  is 
in  Dresden,  and  other  repetitions,  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  are  found  in  l^Iadrid,  Vienna  and  Loreto. 
These,  however,  do  not  have  the  gold  threads. 
The  Berlin  carpets  are  exact  replicas  of  those  in 
the  Vatican. 

The  Cartoons  from  which  these  carpets  were 
woven  have  been  called  the  Parthenon-sculptures 
of  the  Renaissance,  and  Wolfflin  has  said,  "  they 
were  the  treasure  whence  one  could  draw  the  form 
expression  of  all  human  sensations;  and  Raphael's 
fame  rests  principally  on  these  performances.  The 
Western  world  had  never  been  able  heretofore  to 
represent  conclusively  the  movements  of  astonish- 
ment, consternation,  the  agony  of  sorrow  and  the 
image  of  the  divine." 

It  must  be  understood  that  the  Cartoons  rank 


Zbc  irtaltan  patnttuGS  47 

artistically  higher  than  the  tapestries.  The  former 
are  Raphael's  own  drawings  with  their  delicate 
shades  of  colour  and  subtle  indications  of  type  and 
character  in  the  lines,  which  the  weavers  could  not 
reproduce  with  their  materials.  Time  also  has 
faded  the  original  glowingly  rich  colours,  which 
are  now  almost  monochromatic.  Still  the  group- 
ing, the  balance  of  the  masses,  the  exquisite  ex- 
pression of  the  lines  remain,  and  in  these  arazzi 
we  have  the  noble,  complete  product  of  Raphael's 
mastership  in  composition. 

The  subjects  woven  in  these  tapestries  are  drawn 
from  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  or  rather  represent 
scenes  from  the  lives  of  Peter  and  Paul,  and  it  is 
apparent  that  the  object  was  to  illustrate  the  rela- 
tionship between  the  history  of  the  Apostles  and 
the  Papal  Hierarchy. 

The  first  carpet  to  the  right  shows  "  The  Mirac- 
ulous Draught  of  Fishes,"  where  the  Master  with 
Peter  and  his  brother  Andrew  are  seated  in  one 
boat,  and  three  fishermen  in  another  pulling  in  the 
nets.  Peter  is  kneeling  before  the  miracle-worker. 
In  the  distance  are  the  shores  of  the  lake  Gennes- 
areth.  In  the  foreground  three  cranes  stand  in  the 
water  on  a  shallow  spot  near  which  the  wonderful 
catch  is  made. 

It  is  notable  that  the  boats  are  proportionately 
far  too  small  to  carry  the  human  loads,  which  was 


48       Zbc  Htt  of  tbe  Berlin  Callettes 

a  peculiarity  of  cinquecento  art,  to  subdue  the 
material  to  the  spiritual,  even  though  it  should 
contradict  the  facts.  We  note  the  same  singularity 
in  Leonardo  da  Vinci's  "  Last  Supper,"  where  the 
table  is  apparently  too  small  for  the  company. 

The  second  carpet,  "  Pasci  Oves,"  Feed  My 
Sheep,  illustrates  the  charge  to  Peter  in  a  beautiful 
grouping  of  the  Apostles,  and  where  the  actual 
flock  of  sheep  is  not  omitted. 

In  the  "  Healing  of  the  Lame  "  the  foreportal 
of  the  Temple  is  shown  by  a  hall  with  heavy,  turned 
columns  among  which  the  multitude  surges  to 
witness  the  miracle  which  Peter  is  performing. 
An  open  square  is  the  scene  of  "  The  Death  of 
Ananias,"  where  the  culprit  is  struck  down  upon 
the  pavement  as  Peter,  surrounded  by  the  Apostles, 
lifts  his  hand  to  call  judgment  from  heaven. 

The  "  Conversion  of  Saul "  is  a  far  different 
composition  from  the  one  we  shall  see  in  the  Rubens 
gallery.  A  long  caravan  stretches  into  the  depth 
of  the  picture,  while  the  wildness  of  Saul's  horse 
clears  a  space  in  the  foreground.  The  next  tapestry 
shows  "  The  Stoning  of  St.  Stephen,"  and  the  one 
following,  "  Paul  and  Barnabas  in  Lystra,"  where 
the  apostle  tears  his  garments  because  the  multitude 
tries  to  make  him  a  subject  of  idolatry. 

The  sorcerer  Elymas  struck  blind  by  Paul  is 
seen  on  the  next  carpet,  while  the  last  one  is  of 


XTbe  ftalian  paintings  49 

the  most  impressive  composition,  "  Paul  Preaching 
at  Athens."  Raphael  indicates  the  Areopagus  by 
fanciful  Greek  temple-architecture,  Paul  with  up- 
lifted hands  standing  on  a  mosaic  platform  in  front 
of  a  colonade.  The  multitude  is  in  wrapt  attention, 
only  Dionysius  the  Areopagite  makes  a  gesture  of 
interest.  One  of  the  Vatican  carpets,  "  Paul  and 
Silas  delivered  from  Prison  by  an  Earthquake," 
is  missing  in  the  Berlin  set. 

Room  38  —  Florentine  Paintings  of  the  15th 
Century 

Continuing  our  study  of  the  paintings  we  pass 
over  the  balcony  of  the  Basilica  and  enter  the  large 
gallery  38,  which  is  called  the  Botticelli  Gallery, 
because  of  the  number  of  works  of  this  great  Flor- 
entine shown  here.  The  principal  Quattrocento 
Florentines  are  also  represented. 

Sandro  di  Mariano  Filipepi,  called  Botticelli 
(1444-1510),  combines  to  a  remarkable  degree  the 
results  of  training  and  individual  genius.  Through 
his  teacher,  Fra  Filippo,  he  was  imbued  with  the 
religious  feeling  of  Dante  and  Savonarola,  and  he 
had  acquired  great  knowledge  of  the  antique,  and 
followed  nature  arduously.  Therewith  he  joined 
an  individual  conception  of  the  value  of  line  to 
simulate  movement,  and  no  one,  outside  of  Japan, 
has  been  more  competent  to  create  in  his  decorative 


50       Ube  Brt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

compositions  a  lineal  symphony.  But  the  religious 
tendency  of  his  early  influences  hampers  somewhat 
the  full  expression  of  his  intentions.  Thus  his 
figures  often  seem  warped  by  melancholy,  the  types 
become  ill-favoured,  the  faces  are  scarcely  ever 
charming,  or  even  attractive.  And  yet,  there  is  an 
irresistible  swing  to  his  line,  with  graceful  curves, 
almost  pagan  abandon,  which  makes  all  his  work, 
from  beginning  to  end,  intensely  fascinating. 

One  of  his  most  characteristic  Madonnas  is  a 
full-length  figure,  standing  before  a  niched  throne 
(102.  Plate  II).  The  Child  stands  on  one  of  the 
heavily  carved  arms  of  the  chair,  half  leaning 
against  the  mother,  and  lifting  its  right  hand  in 
benediction,  while  angels,  wreathed  with  roses  and 
holding  long  ornamental  candles  entwined  with 
flowers,  are  grouped  in  a  row  on  both  sides.  It  is 
the  tondo  which  Vasari  called,  "  cosa  bellissima," 
and  the  most  expressive  example  of  his  graceful, 
moving  line,  only  surpassed  in  his  "  Spring,"  in 
the  UfBzi. 

Fully  as  beautiful,  and  somewhat  more  simple 
in  composition,  is  another  tondo  (102A),  where 
the  Madonna  is  seated,  holding  the  Child  pressed 
against  her  breast.  The  four  angels  on  each  side 
hold  tall  lillies  in  their  hands.  Their  curly  heads 
form  a  straight  line  above  which  the  head  of  the 
Madonna  slightly  projects.     These  angel  heads  are 


MADONNA  WITH  THE  ailLD  AND  ANGELS 
SANDRO  Kaiser  Friedrich 

Plate  II 


BOTTICELLI 


Museum 


Ube  Utaltan  paintings  51 

not  beautiful,  yet  have  they  peculiar,  attractive 
types  —  an  oval  with  sharply  demarked  cheekbones, 
hooked  chins,  high-drawn  eyebrows,  and  rather 
voluptuous,  full  lips.  Still  Sandro  is  able  to 
put  into  these  features  a  dreamy  expression,  an 
undefined  longing,  a  naive  ingenuousness.  The 
Madonna's  face  is  more  beautiful,  but  with  a  sad 
look  in  the  eyes  and  somewhat  drooping  mouth. 

In  the  St.  John  altarpiece  (106),  which  was 
painted  in  1485  for  the  Bardi  Capella  in  Santo 
Spirito,  Sandro  has  shown  his  skill  in  adding 
plants,  flowers,  fruits,  and  trees  to  the  decorative 
display  of  an  ornate  marble  dais  with  benches  and 
vases.  Before  branches  of  cypress,  palms  and 
myrtle,  that  arch  like  niches  over  their  heads, 
stand  the  two  Johns,  the  Baptist  and  the  Evangelist. 
Between  them,  elevated  on  the  dais,  is  the  Madonna 
seated,  making  ready  to  give  the  Child  the  breast, 
for  which  it  greedily  stretches  out  both  hands. 
This  is  perhaps  the  most  youthful  looking  Madonna 
ever  painted  with  its  sweet,  girlish  face,  a  white 
veil  resting  lightly  on  the  long,  blond  hair. 

An  early  work  is  the  "St.  Sebastian ''  (1128), 
painted  for  the  Medici  in  1473,  which  plainly  shows 
Sandro's  plastic  studies  with  Pollaiuolo,  at  the  same 
time  revealing  the  graceful  bearing  of  his  figures. 
We  have  ample  opportunity  here  to  compare  dif- 
ferent examples  of  the   St.    Sebastian-motif  —  by 


52       TTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

Cosimo  Tura,  Liberale  da  Verona,  Basaiti,  Lorenzo 
Lotto,  Paris  Bordone,  and  also  by  Rubens.  The 
one  by  Botticelli  presents  an  ideal  youth,  in  no  wise 
surpassed  in  its  fine  proportions,  nude  painting,  and 
attractive  appearance  by  any  of  the  other  examples. 
The  loosely  wound  loin-cloth  shines  brilliantly  upon 
the  naked  limbs. 

Another  nude  is  a  replica  of  the  single  figure  of 
"  Venus  "  (1124),  slightly  altered  from  the  "  Birth 
of  Venus "  which  Sandro  painted  for  the  Villa 
Cosimo  de'  Medici  at  Costello.  One  of  the  guests 
of  Lorenzo  Magnifico  was  so  impressed  with  the 
beauty  of  the  central  figure  that  he  requested  of 
the  artist  a  copy,  which  we  have  now  before  us. 
The  arrangement  of  the  hair  is  different  from  the 
Florentine  Venus,  and  being  taken  out  of  the  com- 
position she  is  standing,  and  not  half -floating.  The 
black  background  is  very  original  and  enhances 
greatly  the  sculpturesque  appearance. 

Also  in  portraiture,  which  was  then  becoming 
popular,  Botticelli  distinguished  himself  by  the 
simplicity  and  expressiveness  of  his  human  coun- 
terfeits. His  "Giuliano  de'  Medici"  (106B)  is 
one  of  the  finest  Quattrocento  portraits  in  exist- 
ence. This  brother  of  Lorenzo,  and  younger  son 
of  Cosimo,  was  murdered  in  a  riot,  when  but 
twenty- five,  in  1478,  and  Botticelli  painted  his  por- 
trait, the  eyelids  closed  to  indicate  his  decease,  with 


XTbe  IFtalian  ipatnttn^s  53 

the  aid  of  an  existing  bust-portrait.  The  sharply 
cut,  beardless  face,  ringed  about  with  the  raven- 
black  curly  locks,  comes  out  strongly  against  the 
green  background. 

The  pendant  to  this  portrait  is  that  of  a  young 
woman  (106A),  which  was  originally  supposed  to 
represent  Simonetta  Vespucci,  the  young  mistress 
of  Giuliano,  but  the  features  bear  too  close  resem- 
blance to  the  ideal-heads  in  Sandro's  compositions. 
It  is  more  likely  the  portrait  of  the  artist's  most 
favourite  model,  his  Fornarina. 

The  man  who  with  Verrocchio  had  exercised 
most  influence  upon  Botticelli  was  Antonio  Pol- 
laiuolo.  We  have  already  seen  works  of  both  these 
men.  Antonio  Pollaiuolo,  however,  had  an  alter 
ego  in  his  brother,  Piero.  The  two  constantly 
collaborated,  and  scarcely  is  it  possible  to  distin- 
guish their  independent  works. 

Piero  Pollaiuolo  (1443-1496),  like  his  brother, 
was  a  goldsmith  and  a  sculptor  as  well  as  a  painter. 
He  had  the  same  plastic  feeling  for  form  which 
through  Donatello  had  been  impressed  upon  the 
Florentine  school.  We  find  in  him,  however,  an- 
other Florentine  peculiarity  more  strikingly  demon- 
strated than  in  any  other  of  his  contemporaries. 
This  is  the  feeling  for  space  —  a  consequence  of 
the  life  in  the  southern  city.  In  the  trans-alpine 
north,  with  its  cold  climate,  the  house  is  a  shelter. 


54       XTbe  Htt  ot  tbe  :BerUn  (Ballertea 

which  becomes  homehke  and  cozy  —  a  word  un- 
known in  Itahan.  In  the  south  the  people  Hve 
more  out  of  doors,  and  even  in  the  house  they 
want  largeness  and  freedom  and  no  narrow  rooms, 
alcoves,  and  stuff-hangings.  Such  a  typical  Flor- 
entine interior  we  find  in  the  beautiful  "  Annuncia- 
tion "  {7?>.  Plate  III)  by  Piero,  which  has  an 
astounding  architectural  perspective.  From  the 
anteroom  with  its  two  figures  the  long  vista  of 
the  two  halls,  separated  by  the  marble  wall,  ends 
in  a  delightful  view  of  the  Arno  valley  on  the  one 
side,  and  at  the  end  of  the  other  hall  through  a 
door  into  another  room  with  three  angels  making 
music.  The  varicoloured  marbles  and  onyx  slabs, 
the  richly  decorated  tapestried  walls,  the  jewels 
flashing  in  the  costumes,  give  a  most  sumptuous 
appearance.  Mary,  with  hands  crossed  over  her 
bosom,  sits  on  the  right,  her  long  body  bent  for- 
ward, with  a  blue  mantle  over  her  brown  dress. 
The  angel,  holding  a  lily-stalk,  kneels  before  the 
Virgin  while  bringing  the  unusual  tidings.  The 
colours  are  exceptionally  brilliant  through  the  use 
of  transparent  glazes  allowing  the  undertones  to 
shine  through. 

We  have  already  seen  the  work  of  Lorenzo  di 
Credi.  A  panel  which  follows  closest  the  style  of 
his  master  Verrocchio  is  called  "  Mary  of  Egypt " 
(103),  a  Magdalene  doing  penance  in  the  wilder- 


TLbc  irtalian  paintings  55 

ness  and  comforted  by  an  angel  flying  in  the  air. 
The  penitent  is  nude  but  entirely  hidden  by  her 
long  black  hair  that  falls  profusely  from  her  head 
down  to  the  ground.  Her  elderly,  haggard  face 
still  bears  signs  of  erstwhile  beauty. 

Francesco  Botticini  (1446-1498),  also  of  the 
Verrocchio  school,  the  master  of  the  "  Vierge 
Glorieuse "  of  the  Louvre,  is  the  author  of  a 
"  Crucifixion "  (70A)  and  a  "  Coronation  of  the 
Virgin"  (72).  In  the  Crucifixion  is  noticeable 
the  anatomical  exactness  of  the  crucified  body,  the 
tension  of  the  muscles,  the  sagging  of  the  trunk 
and  thighs  so  that  the  legs  are  bent  outward.  The 
five  figures  surrounding  the  cross  are  most  incon- 
gruously dressed  in  gorgeous  Florentine  costumes; 
feven  the  arc  hangel  Raphael,  one  of  these,  is  swathed 
about  with  voluminous  robes  as  he  leads  by  the 
hand  the  little  Tobith,  dressed  as  a  page  in  the 
height  of  fashion.  Petrus  Martyr  is  dressed  in  a 
long  black  cloak  over  a  heavy  white  undergarment, 
with  an  ornamental  dagger  sticking  in  his  left 
shoulder.  St.  Lawrence,  well  groomed,  his  hair 
hanging  in  curly  locks  on  his  shoulders,  with  the 
tonsure  on  the  top  of  his  head,  wears  the  heavily 
embroidered  gold  and  silk  gown  of  a  noble;  while 
St.  Anthony,  with  long,  curly  white  beard,  is 
wrapped  in  the  toga  of  a  senator.  Two  angels 
floating  under  the  arms  of  the  cross,  also  in  swirl- 


s6       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  :Berlin  Galleries 

ing  raiment,  complete  the  composition  which,  de- 
spite its  incongruity,  has  a  great  sense  of  dignity 
and  is  brilliant  in  colouring. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  century  the  Florentine 
painters  became  much  weaker,  more  colourful,  and 
more  picturesque,  which  is  always  an  inferior, 
slightly  vulgar,  and  even  an  artificial  form  of  art. 
The  exquisite  line-work  of  Botticelli  was  hard  to 
learn,  and  did  not  quite  suit  the  taste  of  the  time. 
Added  thereto  was  the  influence  of  the  magnificent 
Portinari  altarpiece  of  the  Fleming  van  der  Goes, 
that  had  come  to  Florence  in  1475.  The  deep  glow 
and  constructive  unity  of  this  masterpiece  seemed 
to  the  Florentines  to  make  their  own  work  flat, 
cold,  and  depressing.  The  eccentric  Piero  di 
Cosimo  (1462-1521)  was  most  deeply  impressed 
by  this  new  style,  and  he  reveals  this  in  the 
"  Adoration  of  the  Shepherds  "  (204)  which  has 
deep,  warm  colours.  An  earlier  work,  "  Venus, 
Mars  and  Amour"  (107)  bears  still  evidence  of 
his  poetic  interest  in  the  antique.  The  panel  is  in 
the  shape  of  a  casone  front,  but  much  larger,  and 
therefore  was  likely  a  sopraporta.  The  subject  is 
founded  on  a  poem  by  Polizianos,  "  La  Giostra," 
where  Venus  has  just  awakened  and  enjoys  herself 
with  the  deep  sleep  of  the  war-god.  The  same 
theme  was  treated  by  Botticelli  in  a  picture  now 
in  the  National   Gallery.     Our  picture  shows  us 


Ube  irtalian  patntinas  57 

Venus  lying  stretched  upon  the  ground  before  a 
myrtle  bush.  Her  transparent  veil  slightly  covers 
her,  and  Cupid,  a  charming  boy,  nestles  at  her  side. 
Mars  lies  in  the  opposite  direction  fast  asleep, 
while  putti  are  carrying  away  his  armour  piece- 
meal. Rabbits  and  pigeons  enliven  the  scene  which 
lies  in  a  landscape  that  is  far  ahead  of  the  land- 
scapes painted  by  Masaccio,  Baldovinetti,  or  Pol- 
laiuolo.  It  has  more  truth  of  nature  and  less  of 
the  stage-setting  of  Masaccio,  or  the  bird's  eye  view 
of  Pollaiuolo.  The  Florentines  were  not  in  the 
habit  of  painting  figures  lying  down,  they  always 
stand  or  sit,  and  the  figures  here  are  far  from 
perfect.  The  body  of  Venus  especially  is  not  ideally 
beautiful,  the  abdomen  sags  down  ungracefully. 
But  the  charm  of  the  whole,  illuminated  by  the 
light  of  the  rising  sun,  is  undeniable. 

A  design  of  the  "Resurrection"  (75),  by 
Domenico  Ghirlandajo,  was  executed  by  his  two 
brothers,  Davide  (1452-1525)  and  Benedetto 
(1458-1497).  Together  with  the  side-wings  (74 
and  76)  it  formed  the  reverse  of  Domenico's  altar- 
piece  of  the  Choir  of  S.  Maria  Novella  in  Florence, 
which  is  now  in  the  Pinakothek  in  Munich.  The 
work  is  scarcely  interesting  but  characteristic  of 
the  imitative  methods  of  Domenico,  and  of  his 
tendency  to  descend  through  excessive  detail  to 
bad  taste. 


58       Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

Two  paintings  by  Filippino  Lippi,  an  early  and 
a  late  one,  complete  our  survey  of  this  Botticelli 
period.  We  have  already  seen  his  ''  Allegory  of 
Music,"  in  which  we  noted  the  combination  of 
antique  elements  with  new  allegorical  motives. 
The  earlier  work  is  a  "Madonna"  (101),  rather 
too  gay  in  colour.  The  later  work  is  a  "  Cruci- 
fixion "  (96)  which  with  its  gold  background  and 
the  waxy,  ascetic  form  on  the  cross  has  a  truly 
archaic  appearance.  It  was  painted  under  the 
influence  of  the  Savonarola  period  and  is  far  re- 
moved from  the  humanistic  ideals  of  the  time.  Still 
the  St.  Francis  and  Mary,  who  kneel  at  the  foot 
of  the  cross,  are  well  painted  and  have  all  the 
purity  in  type  and  graceful  sentiment  in  pose  and 
feature  of  his  earlier  work. 

Room  37 , —  Umbrian  and  Paduan  Paintings  of 
THE  15th  Century 

The  influence  of  Florence  was  felt  to  the  south 
as  well  as  to  the  north.  The  Umbrians  gradually 
lost  their  feeling  for  detail,  their  gold  ornamenta- 
tion, their  sentiment  inherited  from  the  Sienese, 
and  followed  more  and  more  the  Florentine  way 
of  expressing  form.  The  Paduans  in  the  north 
manifested  most  strongly  the  influence  of  the  study 
of  the  classic  marbles,  but  also  these  gradually 
added  the  nature  study  which  the  Florentines  first 


Zbc  Italian  paintings  S9 

introduced.  Melozzo  da  Forli  and  Luca  Signorelli 
were  the  first  of  the  Umbrians  to  free  themselves 
from  the  halting  provincial  manner.  Melozzo  was 
the  grander  temperament  and  excelled  all  his  pre- 
cursors by  his  exalted  ideas  of  the  beauty  of  com- 
position. Signorelli  had  the  subtler  and  deeper 
mind,  and  in  his  masterful  freedom  in  the  treat- 
ment of  the  nude  must  be  regarded  as  the  fore- 
runner of  Michelangelo. 

Luca  Signorelli  (1441-1523)  was  in  feeling  for 
the  poetry  of  things  inferior  to  no  man.  His  "  Pan 
and  the  Shepherds  "  (79 A.  Plate  IV)  is  one  of  his 
most  characteristic  and  most  fascinating  works. 
There  he  essayed  in  antique  and  mythological 
symbols,  and  the  distinct,  tonic  value  of  the  nude, 
to  depict  the  wonderful  charm  of  nature.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  a  poem  of  Jacopo  Sannazaro 
gave  the  inspiration  for  the  work,  which  presents 
Pan  as  the  god  of  nature  and  the  master  of  music. 
In  the  centre  we  see  the  goat- footed  Pan  seated 
on  a  rock  in  a  fantastic  landscape,  the  tender 
crescent  moon  crowning  his  locks.  He  rests  his 
organ-flute  upon  his  knee  as  he  gently  inclines 
his  head  to  listen  to  the  arcadian  concert  that  is 
being  rendered  for  him  and  the  two  bronzed 
shepherds.  Young  Olympos  is  piping  and  Silenus, 
stretched  on  the  ground,  with  the  beautiful  young 
nymph  standing  forward,  join  him  on  the  reeds. 


6o       XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  JSerltn  Galleries 

The  veil  of  evening  softens  all  colours.  The 
rhythmic  disposition  of  the  figures,  standing,  sit- 
ting, and  lying  down,  and  of  front,  back  and  side 
views,  is  of  a  variety  not  yet  seen  in  the  art  of 
that  day.  These  nudes  have  a  certain  gigantic 
robustness  and  suggestion  of  primeval  energy; 
they  have  redundant  life,  proud  carriage,  massive 
muscles,  sinewy  limbs,  yet  there  is  no  coarseness 
of  animalism  in  his  style.  And  how  well  Luca 
succeeds  in  detaching  his  figures  from  the  back- 
ground ! 

Two  altarwings  (79)  are  of  equal  importance 
and  even  more  beautiful  in  colour.  They  flanked 
at  one  time  a  coloured  wooden  statue  of  St.  Chris- 
topher (now  in  the  Louvre).  On  the  left  stands 
the  beautiful  Magdalene  in  a  rich  robe  of  fiery  red 
and  gold-green,  holding  a  splendid  ointment  vessel. 
At  her  side  is  Sister  Catharine  of  Siena,  and  at 
their  feet  kneels  the  old  St.  Jerome,  half -naked  and 
beating  himself  with  a  stone.  On  the  other  wing 
we  find  the  modest,  lovely  St.  Clara,  accompanied 
by  St.  Augustine  in  his  bishop's  robe,  and  St. 
Anthony  of  Padua  on  his  knees. 

Between  the  two  wings,  taking  the  place  of  the 
original  statue,  is  another  example  of  Luca's  last 
years.  A  tondo  (79B),  possibly  a  "  desco  da 
parto,"  presents  a  scene  which  has  rarely  been 
pictured  in  art,  a  visit  of  Mary  and  Joseph  with 


Ube  irtaltan  paintings  6i 

Jesus  to  the  parents  of  the  little  John.  The  com- 
position is  exceptionally  fine  and  well-balanced. 
The  two  women  embrace  each  other  on  the  one 
side,  and  the  two  old  men  carrying  the  boys  fill 
the  other  half  of  the  tondo.  The  larger  and 
heavier  man,  Joseph,  is  coming  up  a  step,  and  as 
Zacharias  comes  to  meet  him  the  little  John  turns 
a  small  silver  basin  over  the  head  of  Jesus  —  an 
allusion  to  the  baptism. 

From  the  Casa  Torrigiani  comes  the  life-size  bust 
portrait  of  a  jurist  with  a  large  red  biretta,  with 
black  stola.  The  fleshy  face  is  exquisitely  modelled, 
and  the  expression  is  thoughtful,  the  mouth  firmly 
set.  In  the  background  we  see  on  the  one  side  of 
the  head  the  small  figures  of  two  young  men,  nude, 
near  the  ruin  of  a  triumphal  arch;  at  the  other 
side  two  young  women,  draped.  Michelangelo 
followed  Signorelli  in  the  introduction  of  such  nude 
figures  as  accessories,  although  with  a  deeper 
meaning. 

Melozzo  da  Forli's  (1438-1494)  paintings  are 
very  rare,  and  exceedingly  valuable  because  they 
indicate  the  advancing  steps  whereby  the  painters 
of  southern  Tuscany  and  the  Romagna  progressed 
towards  the  greater  freedom  of  the  Florentines. 
The  visit  of  the  Fleming  Justus  van  Ghent  to 
Urbino  had  as  great  influence  on  the  Umbrian 
painters  as  the  visit  of  Hugo  van  der  Goes  had  had 


62       Ube  Htt  ot  tbe  3Betltn  Oallertes 

on  those  of  Florence.  In  the  two  paintings  here 
by  Melozzo  we  note  how  this  artist  exceeded  all 
his  predecessors  in  beauty  and  impressiveness  of 
composition. 

Duke  Frederico  da  Montefeltro  gave  a  commis- 
sion fo  Melozzo  to  decorate  the  walls  of  a  room  of 
his  famous  library  in  his  palace  at  Urbino  with 
allegorical  presentations  of  the  seven  arts  and 
sciences  which  the  University  designated  as  non- 
technical. These  were  Grammar,  Rhetoric,  Logic, 
Geometry,  Arithmetic,  Music,  and  Astronomy. 
Three  of  these,  Grammar,  Geometry  and  Arith- 
metic have  disappeared.  The  paintings  of  Music 
and  of  Rhetoric  are  in  the  National  Gallery,  and 
the  remaining  two,  of  Logic  and  of  Astronomy 
are  here  in  Berlin. 

The  "  Genius  of  Logic  "  (54.  Plate  V)  is  shown 
in  the  form  of  a  richly  gowned  woman  stepping 
down  from  a  high  throne  to  hand  the  book  of 
wisdom  to  Duke  Frederico  as  he  kneels  upon  the 
lower  step.  On  the  other  panel  (54A)  an  elderly 
woman,  in  cloisterlike  garments,  and  heavily  veiled, 
offers  an  astronomical  sphere  to  the  kneeling 
princely  suitor,  who  is  supposed  to  be  Frederico^s 
friend.  Count  Ottaviano  Ubaldino,  whose  favourite 
studies  were  astronomy  and  astrology.  The  heads 
of  these  personages  are  of  imposing  appearance, 
the  execution  is  broad  and  strong,  and  the  excess 


MELOZZO 

DA 

FORLI 


GENIUS  OF  LOGIC 
•     Plate  V 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Zbc  irtalian  paintings  63 

of  detail,  which  so  often  beHttles  the  works  of 
this  variegated  fifteenth  century,  is  entirely  lack- 
ing. 

Giovanni  Santi  (1435-1494),  the  father  of 
Raphael,  proves  himself  in  the  symmetrical 
churchly  composition  of  his  paintings,  in  the  con- 
stantly recurring,  sentimental  bending  of  the  head, 
and  in  the  mild,  weak  expressions,  a  thorough 
Umbrian.  His  "  Throned  Madonna  with  the 
Saints''  (139)  suffers  of  dryness  of  colour  and 
weakness  of  characterization.  The  heads  of  the 
men  are  expressionless,  and  the  features  of  the 
Madonna  lare  haggard  an'^  archaic. 

Giovanni  Bertucci  (active  about  1513)  in  his 
"Adoration  of  the  Kings"  (132)'  shows  the  same 
insignificance  with  senile  old  men  and  weak  youths 
—  far  removed  from  the  strength  of  the  Florentine 
school. 

In  Lombardy  we  find  the  Paduan  school  in  close 
sympathy  with  Florence  through  its  plastic  ten- 
dencies. While  Florence,  howeiver,  sought  its 
presentation  of  form  through  the  study  of  the 
living  body  and  of  nature,  the  University  city  of 
Padua  took  more  the  antique  sculptures  for  its 
example.  As  a  result  the  work  of  the  Paduan 
artists  has  rather  the  effect  of  relief  than  of  free- 
grouping.  Also  the  architectonic  and  ornamental 
treatment    of    thrones,    and    the    decoration    with 


64       XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

magnificent  details  points  to  the  imitation  of  the 
antique. 

Of  Francesco  Squarcione  (1394-1474),  the 
founder  of  the  school,  we  have  here  a  "  Madonna 
with  Child"  (27A),  a  half-figure  under  life-size, 
which  is  reminiscent  of  the  Madonna  reliefs  of 
Donatello.  This  panel,  and  an  altarpiece  now  in 
the  city  museum  of  Padua,  are  the  only  works  in 
existence  of  this  famous  artist  and  student,  who 
exercised  great  influence  on  his  many  pupils.  Our 
Madonna  is  a  beautiful  type  of  face,  seen  in  profile, 
and  strikingly  set  off  in  a  long,  black  hooded  mantle 
against  a  red  curtain  br'^kground.  The  Child  is 
drawn  with  an  excess  of  motion  which  is  in  strong 
contrast  to  the  staid  quietness  of  the  Mother.  Jesus 
has  run  to  the  Madonna^,  clasped  his  arms  around 
her  neck,  and  cuddles  his  head  against  her  cheek. 
Two  ornamental  candlesticks  upon  the  stone  balus- 
trade behind  which  the  Mother  stands  are  archi- 
tectural, but  unnecessary  and  disturbing  details. 

The  greatest  master  of  the  Paduan  school  was 
Andrea  Mantegna  (1431-1506).  He  had  the 
largeness  of  mind  that  looks  for  impressions 
wherever  to  be  found,  and  after  his  early  training 
under  Squarcione  he  studied  Paolo  Uccello  for 
form,  Fra  Filippo  for  composition  and  space,  Piero 
della  Francesca  for  perspective,  while  through  mar- 
riage with  the  sister  of  the  Bellinis  he   received 


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Ube  IFtaltan  paintinQS  6$ 

impressions  of  the  early  Venetian  school.  But  his 
chief  source  of  indebtedness  was  to  Donatello,  from 
whom  he  took  that  sculpturesque  insight  which  is 
his  distinguishing  mark.  No  one  ever  stood  more 
firmly  than  he  upon  design  and  style  for  the  basis 
of  his  pictorial  art.  No  matter  how  harsh  his  fig- 
ures sometimes  may  be  his  outline  is  delicate  and 
sensitive,  full  of  character  and  grace. 

In  the  year  when  Donatello  left  Padua,  and 
Andrea  was  but  twenty-five  years  old,  he  painted 
the  "  Presentation  in  the  Temple"  (29.  Plate  VI), 
under  the  inspiration  of  holding  his  first  bom. 
The  half -figures  are  beautifully  composed  in  relief 
against  the  d:  ^  :  background.  The  lovely  Madonna 
is  about  to  lay  tJ'.  bambino  in  the  arms  of  the  aged 
Simeon  with  his  silver  beard.  The  full  face  of 
Joseph  is  a  powerful  conception  that  reminds  of 
the  stem  features  of  an  archaic  mosaic.  These 
three  heads,  of  Mary,  Simeon  and  Joseph,  are 
of  the  strongest  creations  we  have  of  Mantegna. 
There  is  devotion  of  style,  firmness  of  lines  and 
contours,  solidity  of  colouring,  a  divination  of  the 
real,  if  indeed  these  heads  are  not  portraits  — 
Jacopo  Bellini,  the  grandfather  of  Andrea's  child, 
was  then  seventy.  An  early  failing,  which  later 
disappeared,  is  here  strongly  marked.  All  is  still 
pressed  together  in  flat  layers.  He  puts  one  head 
behind  another  without  stopping  to  consider  care- 


66       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  (Balleries 

fully  enough  whether  there  would  be  room  for  all 
the  bodies. 

A  half-size,  half-length  "  Madonna  and  the 
Child"  (27),  against  a  blue  background  on  which 
a  heavy  garland  of  fruit  and  flowers,  is  catalogued 
under  Mantegna's  name.  The  tone  is  rather  dry, 
and  the  effort  to  overcome  the  difficulty  of  fore- 
shortening is  apparent.  The  sentiment  of  the  com- 
position also  is  too  weak  for  Mantegna,  and  the 
attribution  may  well  be  discarded. 

The  magnificent  bust-portrait  of  Cardinal  Lodo- 
vico  Mezzarota  (9)  is  as  if  cast  in  bronze,  solid, 
powerful,  convincing.  A  comparison  with  Signo- 
relli's  bust  of  a  jurist  which  ^;.  saw  on  the 
opposite  wall,  proves  how  empty  the  broad  treat- 
ment of  the  Umbrian  is  as  against  the  energetic 
compactness  of  the  Paduan.  The  face  with  its 
stern  features,  sharply  cut  mouth,  keen  eyes,  and 
contracted  brows,  fits  exactly  the  character  of  this 
Prince  of  the  Church,  proud,  luxuriant,  over- 
bearing, whose  excessive  assumption  of  worldly 
splendour  provoked  even  the  protest  of  Pope  Paul 
II,  who  himself  was  by  no  means  meekly  disposed. 
No  broad-brimmed  cardinars  hat  indicates  his  high 
place,  only  a  choir-shirt  and  a  red  mass-garment 
cover  his  ample  chest  —  it  is  the  personality  of  the 
man,  the  expression  of  Ihis  character  that  attracts. 

Two  other  Paduan  artists  are  more  provincial 


Ubc  irtaltan  Ipatntinas  67 

in  their  work;  they  have  the  sculpturesque  quality 
without  the  broader  vision  of  Mantegna. 

Marco  Zoppo  (1440-1498)  was  a  heavy-handed, 
almost  uncouth  painter.  His  most  important  work, 
the  large  altarpiece  which  he  painted  for  S. 
Giovanni  in  Pesaro  is  here.  This  "  Madonna 
Enthroned"  (1170),  with  the  Child  and  four 
saints,  has  a  heavy  rock  background  above  which 
a  narrow  strip  of  sky  with  far-off  buildings  is 
seen.  A  meaningless  festoon  above  the  throne  is 
silhouetted  against  the  sky.  The  extraordinary 
development  of  muscles  and  veins  in  the  gigantic 
figures  of  John  the  Baptist  and  St.  Jerome,  the 
grotesquely  fat  child,  and  the  general  heaviness  of 
the  other  forms  make  the  impression  of  the  whole 
far  from  attractive.  The  painting  were  best  seen 
through  the  door  from  the  adjoining  room  to 
moderate  somewhat  its  aggressiveness,  and  to  re- 
duce the  rawness  of  the  flat,  chalky  colour. 

Another  "Madonna  Enthroned"  (1162)  is  by 
Gregorio  Schiavone  (1440-1470),  which  also  shows 
the  one-sidedness  of  the  school.  It  is  the  middle 
part  of  an  altarpiece  from  S.  Francesco  in  Padua. 
The  pose  of  the  Madonna,  which  should  be  dig- 
nified and  elevated,  is  very  artificial,  her  expression 
is  extraordinarily  proud  and  repellent.  The  angels 
at  her  side  are  comically  plump,  and  the  colour  of 
the  painting  cold.    The  artist  shows  an  entire  lack 


68       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerltn  Galleries 

of  feeling  for  nature,  and  seems  to  prefer  the  stark 
forms  of  stone  to  the  supple  pliability  of  living 
flesh. 

As  an  introduction  to  the  Venetian  school  which 
we  shall  study  in  the  next  rooms  we  find  here  a 
very  early  work  of  Gentile  Bellini  (1426-1507), 
who  at  one  time  stood  under  Paduan  influence. 
This  is  a  "Madonna"  (1180)  with  the  Child  and 
Donors.  The  large  high  oval  of  the  Virgin's  face 
with  a  hood,  and  the  heaviness  of  the  child,  are  far 
from  pleasing,  but  the  two  busts  of  the  donors 
which  come  out  above  the  foot  of  the  panel  point 
to  Bellini's  later  accomplishment.  They  are  ex- 
pressive and  well-modelled. 

Rooms  41,  44,  43.    Venetian  Paintings  of  the 
15th  Century 

In  the  first  one  of  these  galleries  we  will  find  the 
works  of  the  men  of  the  so-called  terra  ferma,  of 
Vicenza,  Verona,  Brescia.  The  next  gallery  con- 
tains the  larger  paintings  of  the  Venetian  school 
proper,  with  a  few  Veronese.  The  Cabinet  43 
holds  the  smaller  Venetian  works  of  the  Early 
Renaissance. 

One  of  the  early  men  of  Brescia,  who  later  went 
to  Milan  and  was  probably  the  founder  of  the 
Milanese  school,  was  Vincenzo  Foppa  (about  1427- 
1502).     In  his   "Lamentation  of  Christ"    (133. 


'.  .*  :  »  J  3 


VINCENZO 
FOPPA 


LAMENTATION  OF  CHRIST 
Plate  VII 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Zbc  Italian  paintings  69 

Plate  VII)  he  shows  himself  a  great  master.  It 
is  considered  his  best  work  wherein  we  may  observe 
his  distinction  for  colour,  which  has  pervasive 
silvery  greys  and  subdued  greens  with  shimmering 
effects.  The  expressions  of  sorrow  are  realistic 
and  not  as  reserved  as  was  still  customary;  the 
dark  rock  on  the  right  acts  as  soundingboard  to 
these  exclamations  of  woe.  The  painter's  fantasy 
is  shown  by  portraying  Jerusalem  in  the  back- 
ground in  the  form  of  an  Italian  city.  The  picture 
proves  to  be  the  work  of  a  progressive  with  suffi- 
cient energy  to  be  a  leader. 

His  pupil  Ambrogio  Borgognone  (1450-1523) 
was  somewhat  influenced  by  Leonardo,  and  he 
introduced  the  cool,  the  silvery,  the  light-blue  into 
Lombardy,  whereof  his  two  Madonnas,  the  one 
with  angels  (51)  the  other  with  saints  (52),  bear 
witness.  While  not  conspicuous  for  particular 
excellence  in  form  or  movement  or  spacing,  he  has 
the  most  restrained,  the  most  profound,  the  most 
refined  pietistic  feeling,  which  gave  him  the  name 
of  the  Fra  Angelico  of  Lombardy.  His  drawing 
especially  of  glimpses  of  streets,  mural  bits,  and 
small  figures  has  a  synthetic  abbreviation,  differing 
from  the  plastic  style  then  used,  which  makes  it 
quite  modern. 

At  Verona  we  find  Francesco  Morone  (1473- 
1529)  and  Girolamo  dai  Libri  (1474-1555),  both 


70       Ube  Htt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

living  into  the  sixteenth  century  but  more  allied  to 
the  art  of  the  fifteenth.  The  Madonnas  (46,  46B) 
of  Morone,  and  the  large  Sacra  Conversazione  (30) 
by  Libri  are  merely  of  interest  to  study  the  transi- 
tion from  the  Early  to  the  High  Renaissance. 

Among  all  these  sacred  subjects  we  spy  with 
interest  a  "Betrothal"  (1175)  by  an  unknown 
Veronese  master  of  the  neighbouring  Ferrara. 
The  work  seems  to  have  been  done  under  the 
influence  of  Piero  della  Francesca.  The  exchange 
of  rings  takes  place  in  the  open,  with  a  hilly  land- 
scape in  the  distance.  Four  friends  accompany 
the  bridegroom  as  they  meet  the  bride,  who  with 
two  young  maidens  has  just  come  out  of  doors. 
The  lovers  are  engrossed  in  the  ceremony,  while 
the  exchange  of  glances  between  the  others  shows 
a  division  of  interest.  The  straight  up  and  down 
lines  of  the  folds  of  the  close  fitting  garments  are 
not  displeasing  since  these  are  relieved  by  the  wind- 
ing road  in  the  distance.  This  profane  Sposalizio 
is  very  refreshing  among  the  usual  religious 
compositions. 

The  only  master  of  much  note  in  Vicenza  was 
Bartolommeo  Montagna  (1450-1523),  a  pupil  of 
Mantegna,  from  whom  he  learned  facility  in  draw- 
ing. Later  he  was  influenced  by  the  early  Vene- 
tians and  acquired  a  gentler,  if  not  weaker  manner 
of  composing,  but  the  Venetian  colour-supremacy 


XTbe  Utalian  paintings  71 

materially  aided  the  beauty  of  his  later  work.  The 
finest  work  in  this  room  is  his  "  Noli  me  Tangere  " 
(44B).  The  forms  of  the  Christ  and  the  Magda- 
lene are  weak,  but  the  colourtone  is  golden.  The 
architectural  constructions  on  the  side,  like  cou- 
lisses, frame  the  saints  who  are  present  at  the 
meeting.  A  larger  altarpiece  is  a  "  Madonna 
Enthroned "  (44)  with  saints  and  the  donor, 
Bernardino  da  Feltre,  in  the  robes  of  a  Franciscan. 
Da  Feltre  was  the  founder  of  pawnshops  in  Italy, 
whereby  he  amassed  a  large  fortune.  He  had  this 
altarpiece  painted  for  S.  Marco  in  Lonigo.  The 
round  head  of  the  Madonna  with  the  heavy  eyelids 
points  directly  to  the  Venetian  Vivarini. 

Marcello  Fogolino  (active  1520-1540),  of 
Vicenza,  is  a  much  later  man,  although  in  his 
manner  he  still  exhibits  the  earlier  provincialism 
of  the  terra  firma.  His  large  "  Madonna  En- 
throned"  (47),  with  saints,  formed  part  of  the 
main  altar  in  S.  Francesco  in  Vicenza. 

The  last  picture  that  occupies  us  in  this  gallery 
is  one  that  introduces  us  to  the  next,  for  it  is  a 
Venetian  work,  though  of  minor  quality.  This 
"  Christ  at  Emmaus  "  ( 1 )  is  by  Marco  Marziale 
(active  1492-1507),  who  pictures  four  instead  of 
the  usual  two  men  who  sit  at  meat  with  the  Master. 
Muther  calls  attention  to  the  German  elements  in 
this  painting,  the  square  head  of  Christ,  the  Sla- 


72       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Oalleries 

vonic  type  of  the  youngest  pilgrim  and  of  an  older 
one,  who  both  remind  of  Lucas  Cranach. 

In  the  next  room,  Gallery  44,  hang  several  large 
Venetian  paintings. 

The  Venetians  stand  quite  apart  from  the  rest 
of  the  Italian  schools.  We  know  that  art  is  an 
expression  of  a  people's  character,  conditions  of 
life,  and  environment,  and  Venice  differed  from 
other  Italian  cities  in  almost  every  respect.  The 
Venetians  were  merchants,  growing  opulent  in 
trade,  and  concerning  themselves  little  with  the 
higher  ideals  of  culture  and  philosophy.  Their 
affluence  bred  in  them  a  spirit  of  independence 
which  did  not  brook  political  or  ecclesiastical  inter- 
ference. Their  trade  with  the  far  East  educated 
their  eyes  to  the  rich  colours  the  Mohammedan 
world  produced  in  dyed  stuffs,  mosaics  and  mar- 
bles; while  their  own  island  home  of  the  lagunes, 
with  its  sunny  skies  and  waters,  developed  their 
love  for  the  brilliant,  glowing,  and  opalescent. 

All  these  conditions  impressed  themselves  upon 
Venetian  art.  It  acquired  a  worldly  spirit,  not  one 
that  cared  for  ascetic  pietism,  but  even  in  its  relig- 
ious painting  preferred  the  pride  of  the  eye  to  the 
devotion  of  the  soul.  The  splendour  of  lavish 
living  called  forth  the  sumptuous  spirit  in  the  com- 
positions of  the  great  masters  of  decorative  art; 
while  the  intercourse  with  the  East,  as  well  as  their 


xrbe  irtalian  ipalntinas  73 

natural  surroundings,  produced  the  gorgeous, 
scintillating  colour-school  of  Venice.  The  right 
means  were  provided  at  the  right  time  when  the 
use  of  oil  came  from  Flanders  —  in  the  beginning 
not  understood  by  Florence,  but  at  once  adopted 
by  Venice,  to  change  the  flat,  dull  colours  of  dis- 
temper into  the  lustrous  gloss  of  the  new  medium. 

The  earliest  Venetian  art  was  closely  related  to 
Byzantium,  but  without  producing  any  great  work- 
men died  a  natural  death  —  there  are  no  Primitives 
in  the  Venetian  school.  Not  until  the  second  half 
of  the  fifteenth  century  does  the  art  of  painting  in 
Venice  become  of  importance.  Then  two  families 
of  artists,  the  Vivarini  and  the  Bellini,  laid  the 
foundation  of  the  Venetian  school. 

The  Bellinis  we  will  meet  later  on.  Here  we  find 
the  large  masterpiece  of  Luigi,  called  Alvise  Viva- 
rini (flourished  1461-1503),  the  last  of  the  family 
whose  home  was  in  Murano,  an  out-lying  Venetian 
island.  This  ''Madonna  with  Six  Saints"  (38)  is 
the  most  impressive  composition  among  several 
important  works  in  this  gallery.  The  Venetians 
lived  in  narrow  streets,  there  was  not  much  room 
to  spare,  and  their  churches  were  usually  small. 
Thus  the  chapel  in  which  the  Madonna  is  here 
enthroned,  and  which  is  completely  filled  by  the 
six  persons  surrounding  the  throne,  is  rather 
diminutive;  and  yet,  by  the  architectonic  lines  and 


74       XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

the  general  disposition,  it  gives  the  impression  of 
an  imposing,  lofty,  dignified  sanctum.  In  a  loggia 
with  cupola  and  open  arcades  stands  a  beautifully 
sculptured,  high  marble  throne  to  which  four  steps 
give  access.  On  the  lowest  step  stand  two  putti, 
one  playing  the  lute,  which  the  other  accompanies 
with  a  flute.  The  Madonna  is  seated  in  stately 
dignity  upon  the  purple  cushions,  holding  the  nude 
infant,  who  extends  his  right  hand  in  blessing  over 
St.  Catharine,  St.  Peter  and  St.  George,  with  St. 
Magdalene,  St.  Jerome  and  St.  Sebastian,  who  are 
arranged  in  strong  symmetrical  order  at  both  sides 
of  the  throne.  They  match  each  other  in  pairs, 
the  two  women  with  the  same  dress,  hair-arrange- 
ment, gaze,  gesture,  lighting  and  colour ;  the  sunken 
down  head  of  Peter  opposes  the  grey-beard  of 
Jerome,  both  wrapped  in  flowing  robes  with  many 
folds.  The  opposite  of  the  harnessed  St.  George 
to  the  naked  St.  Sebastian  is  the  more  striking. 
.All  stand,  in  wrapt  silence,  listening  to  the  putti's 
serenade.  This  impression  of  stately,  reverential 
quiet  is  emphasized  by  the  upper-half  of  the  picture 
with  its  grand  architectural  lines  and  the  intarsia 
of  the  ceiling,  all  empty,  lofty,  echoing  the  sweet 
notes. 

Another  altarpiece  by  Alvise,  only  a  little  smaller, 
"The  Madonna  and  Four  Saints"  (1165),  excels 
in  grand  construction,  depth  of  colouring,  with  a 


ST.   MAGDALENE 
CARLO  Kaiser   Friedrich 


CRIVELLI       Plate 


Museum 


Ube  irtaUan  paintings  75 

sharp    side-light,    strong    characterization    of    the 
heads,  and  a  free  movement  of  the  bodies. 

Only  a  few  pupils  and  followers  of  the  Vivarini 
appeared  before  the  Muranese  were  merged  with 
the  Venetians.  Carlo  Crivelli  (1430-1493)  is  the 
only  one  of  these  of  any  note.  We  still  detect 
Paduan  echoes  in  his  work,  a  mixture  of  grace 
with  harsh,  archaic  severity.  His  "  St.  Magdalene  " 
(1156.  Plate  VIII)  is  one  of  the  finest  of  his  single 
figures.  It  combines  magnificent  decorative  detail 
with  sweetness  and  delicacy  in  face  and  hands, 
excessive  affectation  in  the  drawing,  and  richest 
colour-play.  The  way  the  hands  are  drawn  is 
almost  a  mannerism  with  Crivelli,  seen  with  all 
his  Madonnas,  and  also  in  the  large  altarpiece 
"  The  Infant  Christ  giving  the  Keys  to  St.  Peter  " 
(1156A),  which  hangs  in  the  centre  of  the  main 
wall.  The  wide  distinction  in  which  Crivelli  jux- 
taposes his  ideals  of  women  against  the  barbaric 
harshness  of  his  men  had  never  been  seen,  even 
in  the  old  Sienese  school.  The  ineffable  sweetness 
and  grace  of  the  Virgin  —  again  with  a  right  hand 
of  thin,  extraordinary  curved  fingers  —  surrounded 
by  the  most  brutal  and  debased  looking  saints,  who 
are  almost  smothered  in  gorgeous  church  raiment, 
is  the  height  of  contrast.  The  whole  panel  is 
loaded  with  gold,  brocades,  jewels  and  carvings. 
The  reckless,   elusive  capriciousness  of  the  com- 


76       TLbc  Utt  ot  tbe  JSetlin  (Galleries 

position  is  not  an  unmixed  merit;  yet  it  is  not 
difficult  to  sift  out  from  a  mass  of  irrelevant,  but 
still  interesting  detail,  the  passages  which  are  worth 
while.  This  is  regarded  as  the  artist's  master- 
piece of  his  later  period,  when  he  inaugurated  the 
idea  to  give  the  figures,  not  isolated  in  their  sep- 
arate panels,  but  united  in  a  single  composition  in 
which  each  takes  its  proper  place.  From  the  be- 
ginning to  the  end  of  his  career  Crivelli  always 
painted  in  distemper,  to  which  he  clung  with  a 
desperate  fondness  at  a  time  when  all  painters 
were  trying  oils.  He  did  not  belong  to  a  move- 
ment of  progress,  but  in  the  stationary  conserva- 
tism of  his  art  he  attained  a  height  in  which  he 
rivals  the  greatest  artists  of  all  times  and  countries. 
The  first  great  follower  of  the  Bellini  in  Venice 
was  Vittore  Carpaccio  (about  1455-1525),  a  stri- 
kingly original  man,  who  was  an  innovator  with 
grandly  elaborate  compositions.  His  "  Consecra- 
tion of  St.  Stephen"  (23)  is  thoroughly  charac- 
teristic of  his  descriptive  art.  On  a  large  square, 
in  the  background  of  which  some  Venetian  build- 
ings on  the  one  side  and  on  the  other  a  queerly 
shaped  mountain  and  a  chapel  are  seen,  are  gath- 
ered various  groups.  One  group  in  the  left  fore- 
ground consists  of  a  number  of  Oriental  dignitaries, 
with  turbans  and  long  robes,  apparently  discussing 
the    ceremony    which    takes    place    on    the    right. 


Ube  irtalian  IPatntirtas  77 

There  we  see  on  the  steps  of  a  palace  the  apostle 
Peter,  attended  by  one  or  two  other  apostles, 
investing  Stephen,  and  a  few  other  young  clerics 
who  kneel  on  the  steps,  wijh  the  diaconate.  Sev- 
eral men  and  women  in  attractive  national  cos- 
tumes tare  gathered  around.  The  landscape,  the 
perspective,  the  architecture  of  the  buildings,  the 
costumes,  the  colours  attract  us  more,  however, 
than  the  spiritual  meaning  of  the  occasion.  The 
invention,  the  technical  ability,  the  sumptuous  ap- 
pearance of  the  whole  make  Carpaccio  a  worthy 
forerunner  of  Paolo  Veronese.  His  "  Preparation 
for  the  Burial  "  (23 A)  is  more  bizarre,  since  the 
movements  of  the  attendants  are  too  pronounced, 
and  disturb  the  solemn  quiet  which  we  should 
eixpect  in  a  Christo  Morte.  Unusually  fine  is  the 
perspective  on  the  brigihtly  lit  heights,  with  a  pair 
of  musical  angels  on  the  cliff. 

Carpaccio  was  a  true  child  of  Venice.  He  has 
opulent  colouring,  warmed  by  the  nays  of  the 
Venetian  sun  and  enlivened  by  that  gaiety  with 
which  the  very  air  of  Dhe  lagunes  is  impregnated. 
The  spiritual  significance  of  his  religious  works 
truly  interprets  Venetian  devotion,  "at  once  real 
and  devoid  of  pietistic  rapture."  He  possessed 
grace  and  dignity,  a  certain  romantic  charm,  and 
his  wayward  imagination,  full  of  subtle  and  happy 
surprises,  always  gives  a  pleasing  satisfaction. 


78       Ube  Htt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

Cima  da  Conegliano  (1470-1518)  was  an  equally 
lovable  personality,  perhaps  with  somewhat  more 
refinement,  more  symmetry,  and  simpler  grace. 
He  is  the  delightful  painter  of  Virgins  who  are 
still  serious,  but  conscious  of  their  own  beauty, 
whose  softly  rounded  forms  are  in  strong  contrast 
to  the  ascetic,  bony  frames  of  the  Florentines.  At 
times  he  reaches  to  Carpaccio's  height  in  grandeur 
of  composing.  This  is  seen  in  the  panel  which 
depicts  a  scene  in  the  life  of  St.  Marc,  "  The 
Healing  of  Anianus "  (15).  One  day  St.  Marc 
was  passing  over  the  marketplace  of  Alexandria 
when  he  saw  a  sidewalk  cobbler,  Anianus  by  name, 
who  had  cut  himself  with  his  awl  to  such  an  ex- 
tent that  the  hand  would  seem  useless  for  further 
service.  St.  Marc  stopped  the  bleeding  and  healed 
the  hand.  And  the  legend  says  that  the  cobbler 
left  his  last  and  followed  the  apostle,  became  a 
Christian,  and  succeeded  St.  Marc  on  the  bishop- 
chair  of  Alexandria.  The  grouping  of  the  heavily 
turbanned  and  robed  Orientals  who  witness  the 
miracle  is  very  natural.  One  head  reaching  out 
of  a  groundfloor  window  is  a  perfect  type,  and  a 
horseman,  who  looks  like  a  present-day  Cossack, 
has  halted  his  horse  and  bends  forward  to  see  over 
the  heads  of  the  crowd  what  is  going  on.  The 
architectural  lines  of  the  buildings  surrounding  the 
square  are  stately  and  well-proportioned. 


Ubc  irtalian  ipatnttngs  79 

But  Cima  was  even  more  successful  in  his  Con- 
versazione pictures  with  their  festive  gaiety  than 
in  his  few  historical  works.  Thus  his  Ancona, 
"Madonna  and  Child"  (2),  has  a  supreme  dig- 
nity in  the  statuesque  saints  that  stand  at  the  foot 
of  the  high  throne,  with  studied  correctness  of 
drawing.  The  setting  is  much  like  the  one  we  saw 
in  Alvise  Vivarini's  work  (38,  opposite  wall). 
Best  of  all  we  find  Cima  in  his  half-length  Ma- 
donnas, with  a  natural  nobility  in  the  heads,  and 
picturesque  landscape  background.  There  is  one 
of  these  here  (7),  in  which  the  donor's  face  and 
clasped  hands  appear.  The  charm  and  vitality  in 
the  faces  and  the  deep  autumnal  colour  of  the 
mountainous  landscape  make  this  an  exceptionally 
attractive  little  panel. 

Three  immediate  pupils  of  the  Bellinis  in  this 
gallery  are  but  weak  imitators.  Francesco  Bissolo 
(1464-1528)  drove  his  imitation  so  far  that  many 
of  his  works  are  at  first  readily  mistaken  for  those 
of  Giambellini,  but  his  colour  is  weak  and  warm, 
not  brilliant,  and  his  characters  insignificant.  We 
may  note  this  in  his  "  Resurrection  of  Christ " 
(43).  Francesco  Zaganelli  (active  1505-1527) 
was  a  painter  from  the  Romagna,  but  also  worked 
with  the  Bellini.  His  "Annunciation"  (164)  is 
one  of  the  earliest  presentations  of  this  subject  in 
a  grand,  ceremonial  manner,  instead  of  the  earlier 


8o      Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  (Ballerics 

surprise  visit  in  Mary's  dormitory.  Here  we  see 
the  Virgin  standing  in  a  roomy,  splendidly  decor- 
ated hall,  receiving  the  angel,  while  St.  Anthony 
of  Padua  kneels  in  adoration,  and  St.  John  the 
Baptist  presents  the  donor.  Marco  Basaiti  (active 
1497-1527)  was  again  a  weak  imitator.  His  ''  St. 
Sebastian"  (37)  is  a  sweet,  nerveless  concep- 
tion. 

Both  the  Veronese  shown  in  this  gallery  are 
represented  with  the  pictures  of  the  same  tortured 
saint.  The  "  St.  Sebastian  "  (46A)  of  Liberale  da 
Verona  (1451-1536)  is  the  finest  presentment. 
The  style  of  drawing  is  formed  somewhat  on 
Mantegna's  work,  while  Venetian  influences  are 
seen  in  the  colouring  and  background.  This  nude 
body  tied  against  a  tree  has  great  animal  beauty, 
without  the  usual  languid  emaciation  wherewith 
Botticelli  and  other  early  men  depicted  the  martyr, 
and  revealing  the  deep  sense  for  form  and  struc- 
ture, and  a  certain  poetical  feeling  as  well,  where- 
with Liberale  was  endowed.  The  features,  turned 
heavenward,  have  a  plaintive  but  not  suffering  ex- 
pression. The  vigorous  youth  fulness  of  the  body, 
pierced  by  arrows,  and  soon  to  stiffen  in  death, 
is  the  contrasting  key  of  the  picture. 

The  same  subject  (46C),  by  Francesco  Bon- 
signori  (1453-1519),  reveals  also  the  Mantegna 
influence.    Here  the  figure  has  a  different  pose  and 


Zbc  f  taltan  patntinaa  Bi 

is  somewhat  more  severe  in  outline  but  equally 
impressive. 

In  Cabinet  43  we  find  Venetian  paintings  of 
smaller  size.  One  of  the  earliest  works  of 
Giovanni  Bellini  (1428-1516),  of  whom  we  will 
see  other  works  further  on,  is  a  ''  Mary  with 
Child"  (1177),  still  entirely  in  the  style  of  his 
father  Jacopo,  and  before  Mantegna's  influence 
was  felt.  There  is  still  a  lack  of  freedom  and 
absence  of  grace  in  this  half -figure,  nor  is  the 
colour  as  melting  as  in  his  later  famous  half- figure 
Madonnas. 

In  one  of  the  two  portraits  of  young  men,  by 
Antonello  da  Messina  (1444-1493),  we  can  readily 
detect  the  Flemish  feeling  which  (he  acquired  while; 
studying  the  process  of  painting  in  oil  colours, 
which  he  introduced  into  Italy.  This  is  a  three- 
quarter  face  of  a  young  man  (18A),  beardless, 
with  red,  fur-lined  mantle  and  dark  cap  against 
a  black  background.  The  other  portrait  (18),  one 
of  the  latest  he  painted,  has  less  of  this  Flemish 
feeling,  its  manner  of  painting  is  exactly  like  that 
of  a  Bellini  Madonna.  The  bust  of  a  long-haired 
youth  comes  above  the  rail  of  a  balustrade,  an 
evening  sky  forms  the  background,  dark  overhead, 
and  running  into  a  bright  sunset  glow  towards  the 
horizon.  The  features  are  framed  in  reddish 
brown  hair,  and  the  collar  of  a  dark  shirt  circles 


82      XTbe  art  ot  tbe  Berlin  Oallertes 

the  neck.  The  face  is  full  and  well-modelled,  and 
has  a  fine  reflection  of  the  light-effect.  It  is  a  por- 
trait that  can  easily  hold  its  own  with  those  of 
later  men. 

The  undoubted  example  in  the  Berlin  Museum 
of  Giorgione  (1477-1511)  is  also  the  portrait  of 
a  youth  (12A).  Giorgione  was  one  of  the  three 
greatest  pupils  of  Giambellini,  Titian  and  Tin- 
toretto being  the  other  two.  He  was  one  of  the 
greatest  of  colourists,  working  mostly  in  fresco. 
He  died  young,  it  is  said,  from  grief  at  the  deser- 
tion of  a  fickle  beauty,  and  but  few  of  his  easel- 
pictures  —  not  a  score  in  all  —  are  in  existence. 

In  this  portrait  of  a  youth  who  looks  so  steadily 
at  the  beholder  we  see  finely  marked,  almost  deli- 
cate features,  framed  in  a  wealth  of  long  black 
hair  which,  parted  in  the  middle,  hangs  down  in 
heavy  locks  on  his  shoulders,  covering  the  ears. 
A  dull  violet,  padded  doublet  covers  his  breast  as 
he  stands  behind  a  stone  parapet.  There  is  a  fine 
blending  of  skilful  contrasts  in  colour  and  a  volup- 
tuous swell  of  line.  Says  Morelll :  "  In  it  we  have 
one  of  those  rare  portraits  such  as  only  Giorgione 
and  occasionally  Titian  were  capable  of  producing, 
highly  suggestive,  and  exercising  over  the  spectator 
an  irresistible  fascination." 

Giorgione  combined  the  refined  feeling  and 
poetry  of  Bellini  with  Carpaccio's  gaiety  and  love 


Ube  irtaltan  paintings  Ss 

of  colour,  whereby  his  work  shows  the  perfect 
reflex  of  the  ripened  Renaissance.  His  contem- 
poraries were  at  a  loss  for  terms  in  which  to  ex- 
press their  admiration,  and  were  driven  to  coin 
words  which  should  convey  some  idea  of  the  ful- 
ness of  life  and  beauty  that  breathed  from  his 
canvases.  //  fuoco  Giorgionesco,  "  the  Giorgion- 
esque  fire,"  and  un  certo  fiammeggiar  di  colori, 
"  a  certain  flamelike  quality  of  colour,"  became 
common  phrases  to  apply  to  his  creations.  No 
wonder  that  the  school  of  Giorgione  numbers  far 
more  adherents  than  even  the  school  of  da  Vinci, 
or  the  school  of  Raphael;  not  because  of  any  direct 
teaching  of  the  master,  but  because  the  "  Gior- 
gionesque  "  spirit  was  abroad,  and  the  taste  of  the 
day  required  paintings  like  Giorgione's  to  satisfy 
it. 

We  have  already  seen  work  of  the  next  two 
men.  The  Museum  Verein  has  contributed  a  small 
beach-scene  (17A),  by  Cima  de  Conegliano,  one 
of  the  first  landscapes  per  se,  in  which  the  small 
figures  of  wrestling  men  are  only  accessories.  It 
depicts  a  green  bend  in  the  shore  of  a  lake  which 
is  enclosed  in  the  far  distance  by  blue  mountains. 
A  boat  is  drawn  upon  the  smooth  sand,  and  trees 
and  verdure  add  to  the  beauty  of  the  scene.  The 
picture  grasps  the  meaning  of  landscape  in  its 
entirety,  and  renders  it  with  poetic  significance. 


84       Ubc  art  Of  tbe  JSerltn  ©allettes 

The  half-length  "Madonna  and  Child"  (46), 
by  Francesco  Morone,  is  in  the  style  of  his  ex- 
ample which  we  saw  in  Room  41. 

Of  greater  interest  is  a  "  Pieta "  (4),  by  the 
so-called  Pseudo  Basaiti,  an  assistant  of  Gio. 
Bellini,  whose  work  up  to  a  short  time  ago  was 
ascribed  to  Marco  Basaiti.  This  unknown  artist 
who,  however,  lately  has  been  identified  with 
Andrea  Busati,  of  whom  there  is  a  signed  painting 
in  the  Academy  of  Venice,  was  a  far  stronger  man 
than  the  one  who  for  so  long  received  the  credit 
of  his  work.  In  our  picture  of  half -figures  we 
see  the  nude  body  of  the  dead  Christ  supported 
on  each  side  by  Mary  and  John.  The  drawing  of 
this  body  is  remarkably  plastic,  the  folds  of  the 
dresses  worn  by  the  mourners  are  natural,  and 
their  faces  expressive  of  deep  grief  without  ex- 
aggeration. The  head  of  the  Christ,  fallen  back- 
wards on  Mary's  arm  and  slightly  foreshortened, 
is  one  of  the  most  beautifully  painted  heads,  such 
as  few  Pietas  may  show. 

Three  Ferrarese  painters  are  also  shown  here. 
Of  Francesco  Francia  we  have  already  seen  a  large 
work  in  Room  34.  Here  we  find  an  attractive 
little  "Holy  Family"  (125),  in  half-figures,  of 
his  early  time,  which  shows  still  the  sharp  draw- 
ing of  his  goldsmith's  art.  The  colour  is  rather 
cold  and  somewhat  mixed,  but  the  charming  pose 


TLbc  Italian  paintings  85 

of  the  Child,  standing  on  a  stone  breasting  as  Mary 
holds  it,  with  Joseph  at  the  other  side,  is  very 
attractive. 

The  "John  the  Baptist"  (112C),  by  Ercole 
Roberti  (1455-1496),  the  ablest  follower  of  Tura, 
looks  rather  haggard,  well-nigh  grotesque,  among 
these  Venetians,  but  is  as  glowing  in  colour  as  any 
of  these.  The  emaciated  form,  girt  about  the  loins, 
stands  silhouetted  against  the  sky  studying  the 
mystery  of  the  cross.  The  homely  face  and  shanky 
limbs  remind  of  Pollaiuolo,  but  the  feeling  for  the 
landscape  is  much  further  advanced.  The  saint 
stands  on  a  platform  that  looks  like  the  roof  of 
a  house,  over  the  edge  of  which  we  see  a  lake  from 
which  many  rocky  eminences  protrude,  the  ruins 
of  a  bridge  here,  a  city  and  ships  there,  and  moun- 
tains girdling  the  horizon,  which  runs  below  the 
middle  of  the  painting.  The  upper  half  is  filled 
with  a  glowing  evening  sky,  brilliantly  reflected  in 
the  waters  of  the  lake,  which  gives  the  small  panel 
a  rare  feeling  of  nature.  His  "  Mary  with  the 
Child"  (112D)  is  more  restful  in  appearance. 
Roberti's  pupil,  Francesco  Maineri  (flourished  last 
half  15th  century)  has  a  "Holy  Family"  (1632) 
quite  in  the  same  manner. 

Three  portraits  in  this  cabinet  belong  to  the  High 
Renaissance  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Two  of 
these  are  by  Lorenzo  Lotto  (1480-1556),  both  of 


86      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JBeclin  (Balleries 

young  men.  An  early  portrait  (182)  shows  a 
youth  with  sHghtly  bent  head,  half  turned  to  the 
right  and  gazing  straight  at  the  onlooker.  His 
black  barette,  black  doublet  and  mantle,  show  well 
against  a  blue-green  curtain.  No.  320  is  a  mature 
work  of  the  artist's  best  period.  The  youth  has 
short-cut  hair  and  a  pointed  beard.  The  black 
barette  and  doublet  come  out  against  a  red  curtain, 
while  to  the  right  one  sees  the  sea  with  a  part  of 
the  Molo  of  Venice.  Here  the  full  power  of  por- 
traiture is  seen  in  the  masterful  handling. 

In  his  portraits  Lotto  shows  his  independence. 
A  pupil  of  Alvise  Vivarini,  as  Berenson  has  clearly 
established,  he  had  archaic  leanings  but  was  later 
influenced  by  Cima  de  Conegliano,  Bellini,  Crivelli, 
Raphael  and  others.  But  a  distinctly  individual 
note  is  struck  and  a  delicate  psychological  insight 
shown  when  he  presents  the  human  document. 
Then  he  displays  a  power  of  catching  and  per- 
petuating transient  emotions  and  delicate  shades  of 
feeling  which  distinguishes  him  from  all  other 
Venetian  masters.  Farther  on  we  shall  see  one  of 
his  religious  pictures,  which  are  marked  by  an  in- 
tense fervour;  not  so  much  of  personal  religious- 
ness but  of  an  exquisite  sensitiveness  to  ecstatic 
feelings  and  unclutchable  visions. 

Another  fine  portrait  here  is  by  Sebastiano  del 
Piombo     (1485-1547).      It    represents    a    young 


trbc  IFtalian  paintings  87 

Roman  matron  (259B),  seated  at  a  window,  the 
dark  wall  at  the  side  serving  as  background  to 
her  full-lighted  face.  She  is  sitting  sideways,  with 
her  face  turned  towards  the  spectator,  the  lustrous 
bright  eyes  gazing  at  him  coquettishly.  The  fur- 
lined  red  velvet  mantle  falls  off  her  left  shoulder 
and  is  held  up  to  the  breast  by  the  right  hand,  and 
in  the  left  she  holds  a  small  basket  with  fruit. 
Through  the  window  is  seen  a  charming  hilly  land- 
scape with  evening  light.  When  this  panel  was 
in  the  Blenheim  Collection  of  the  Duke  of  Marl- 
borough it  was  called  a  Raphael,  although  Waagen 
declared  it  to  be  by  Sebastiano.  The  portrait  was 
painted  in  his  early  Roman  period,  about  1512,  and 
has  still  much  of  his  Venetian  manner  which  he 
later  lost  when  becoming  a  Papal  court-painter. 
The  type  of  face  is  not  Roman,  but  rather  shows 
a  lady  from  North  Italy  residing  at  the  Tiber. 
Few  of  the  beauties  which  Raphael  has  produced 
can  compare  with  the  exquisite  charm  of  these  per- 
fect, blooming  features. 

Room  42  —  Venetian  and  Lombard  Sculpture, 
AND  Venetian  Paintings 

In  the  next  cabinet  we  find  sculpture  by  Tamag- 
nini,  Laurana,  and  Bambaja,  while  the  room  ac- 
quires colour  from  three  large  Venetian  paintings 
and  from  ceiling  decorations  of  mythological  sub- 


88      Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleties 

jects,  by  Paolo  Veronese,  which  at  one  time  served 
in  the  Palazzo  Pisani  in  Venice. 

There  are  two  early  examples  of  great  impor- 
tance of  Giovanni  Bellini.  His  "  Death  of  Christ  " 
(28)  was  painted  about  1460,  when  Giovanni 
moved  from  Padua  to  Venice  and  there  tried  to 
represent  in  colour  what  Donatello  in  Padua  had 
cast  in  bronze.  He  painted  this  subject  more  than 
ten  times,  but  this  earliest  is  one  of  the  finest,  only 
surpassed  by  the  famous  Pieta  in  the  Brera  of 
Milan.  In  its  pale  tempera  colours  it  does  not  cor- 
respond with  the  master's  later  works  in  oil,  and 
yet  it  is  suffused  with  the  soulful  meaning  of  all 
his  work.  Mantegna's  pathos  results  sometimes  in 
exaggerated  drawing  of  the  form,  here  the  catas- 
trophe of  the  heroic  body  of  Christ,  sunk  together 
and  held  up  by  two  childish  looking  angels  with 
so  ft- feathered  wings,  is  marked  with  the  highest 
nobility  upon  which  the  peace  of  death  is  resting. 
Blood  gushes  from  the  wounds,  heavily  hangs  the 
huge  left  hand  in  the  small  fingers  of  the  angel- 
boy,  and  the  head  has  fallen  backwards  upon  the 
shoulders  of  his  genii. 

Opposite  this  Pieta  hangs  the  "  Resurrection " 
(1177A)  which  at  one  time  formed  the  altarpiece 
in  a  mortuary  chapel.  The  early  Easter  morning 
dawns  rosy  red  over  the  mountains,  and  the 
ethereal  body,  holding  a  flag  with  the  cross,  is  seen 


Ubc  f  talian  paintings  89 

rising  heavenward;  but  not  yet  in  the  floating 
manner  of  the  next  century,  but  as  if  solidly  stand- 
ing on  some  invisible  support.  Below  is  the  open 
cave  in  the  side  of  the  hill  where  two  watchers  are 
still  asleep,  and  two  of  the  guard,  awakened,  stand 
stupefiedly  gazing  upwards  at  the  strange  appari- 
tion. The  women  are  approaching  in  the  distance, 
still  unaware  of  the  miracle  wrought. 

Diirer,  who  met  Giovanni  Bellini  in  Venice, 
wrote :  "  I  am  much  attached  to  him.  He  is  very 
old,  but  still  the  best  in  painting."  This  judgment 
given  while  Titian  was  in  his  prime  deserves  the 
greatest  consideration,  for  Diirer  was  too  broad  in 
his  feeling  to  take  a  partial  view  of  the  art  of 
another  painter.  We  may  not  at  once  subscribe 
to  this  opinion,  for  most  of  the  works  we  have  of 
Bellini  are  mainly  the  things  he  did  to  live  by  — 
the  great  work  of  his  life  went  up  in  the  confla- 
gration of  the  Ducal  Palace.  And  yet,  the  versa- 
tility of  his  art,  from  his  early  days  until  his  latest 
known  work  of  1513  and  1514  —  the  altarpiece  in 
San  Giovanni  Crisostomo  in  Venice  and  the 
"  Bacchanal "  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Northum- 
berland—  shows  itself  to  have  been  a  continuous 
growth,  an  unceasing  evolution.  He  was  endowed 
with  profound  and  grandly  balanced  feeling,  the 
expression  of  which  appeals  to  large  and  noble 
sympathies.     He  had  a  dignity  and  serenity  pecu- 


90      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

liarly  his  own ;  he  endowed  his  art  with  a  character 
of  moral  beauty  which,  without  actually  spiritual- 
izing the  things  of  this  world,  displayed  their 
noblest  and  most  edifying  side.  As  to  his  funda- 
mental types  of  Christ,  the  Virgin,  and  the  Apostles, 
they  were  irrevocably  fixed  in  his  imagination,  their 
distinguishing  character  being  a  melancholy  grav- 
ity. As  for  the  Virgin,  we  see  that  she  is  entirely 
absorbed  with  the  presentiment  of  her  sufferings, 
and  is  already  the  Mother  of  the  Seven  Sorrows; 
she  was  a  prophetic  type  to  which  the  artist  con- 
stantly adhered.  Other  artists  have  surpassed  him 
in  colour,  drawing  or  composition,  as  a  painter 
Giovanni  Bellini  was  a  great  master. 

Beautiful  as  these  two  works  of  Giambellini  may 
be,  they  do  not  surpass  the  beauty  of  an  altar- 
piece  (20)  in  four  parts,  three  upright  panels  and 
a  lunette,  by  the  Pseudo-Basaiti,  or  Andrea  Busati, 
of  whom  we  saw  a  Pieta  in  the  last  cabinet.  He 
is  to  be  recognized  by  the  silver  light  that  gleams 
through  his  colours.  This  work  is  riper  than 
Bellini's  Easter  morning.  In  three  arched  panels 
stand  three  holy  men,  John  the  Baptist,  St.  Jerome, 
and  St.  Francis,  towering  against  the  sky  which 
domes  over  a  realistic  landscape,  full  of  atmos- 
phere. In  the  lunette  above  we  see  the  half -figures 
of  three  holy  women,  the  Virgin,  holding  the  Child, 
in  the  centre    against  the  red  back  of  a  throne, 


Ube  Utaltan  ipainttngs  91 

flanked  by  St.  Catharine  of  Siena  and  St.  Veronica 
against  the  blue  sky  in  which  white  cumuli  float. 
Nothing  is  happening,  all  is  quiet,  restful,  worship- 
ful, but  there  is  such  freshness  in  the  rich  land- 
scape, such  quiet  dignity  in  the  pose  of  the  figures, 
such  beautiful  colour-harmony,  that  it  might  well 
be  called  the  finest  Venetian  Quattrocento  painting 
in  the  museum.  The  exquisite  charm  of  this  per- 
fect gem  leaves  an  indelible  impression. 

We  note  also  an  early  "  Madonna  and  Child  " 
(17),  by  Cima  de  Conegliano,  and  a  "Madonna 
with  musical  Angels"  (40),  which  must  belong  to 
the  school  of  Alvise  Vivarini.  Neither  the  colour, 
the  drawing,  nor  the  types  concede  a  pure  Venetian 
origin;  the  angelheads  remind  of  Mantegna,  while 
the  landscape  points  to  the  neighbourhood  of 
Verona. 

Room  39  —  Collection  James  Simon 

We  pass  through  Cabinet  40,  filled  with  Floren- 
tine marbles  of  the  late  fifteenth  century,  by 
Antonio  Rosselino  and  Mino  da  Fiesole.  Ma- 
donnas by  Filippino  Lippi  (82),  Mainardi  {71^, 
and  a  portrait  of  a  youth  {7"^),  by  Botticelli  add 
to  the  decoration  of  the  room  but  need  not  detain 
us.  In  Cabinet  39  we  find  the  Collection  of  M. 
James  Simon  which  was  donated  to  the  museum 
in  honour  of  the  opening  of  the  present  building 


92       Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Oallctics 

in  1904.  It  consists  almost  exclusively  of  works 
of  the  Italian  Renaissance. 

The  earliest  is  a  "  Madonna  with  sleeping  Child/' 
by  Mantegna,  where  the  Mother's  stiffly  bent  head 
has  a  strong  Donatellesque  appearance.  It  is  a  very 
early  work,  that  seems  to  have  been  known  to 
Diirer  when  he  painted  the  Dresden  altarpiece,  for 
the  unusual  pose  of  the  Madonna  is  there  repeated. 
A  tondo,  by  Raffaelino  del  Garbo,  of  a  Madonna 
with  two  worshipping  angels,  is  over-decorated,  as 
is  usual  with  the  artist. 

Catena  (died  1531),  fully  imbued  with  the 
Giorgionesque  spirit,  has  two  pictures  here,  a  "  St. 
Magdalene,"  a  blonde,  whose  bare  bosom  is  half 
concealed  by  blue  drapery;  and  the  portrait  of  a 
young  lady,  with  a  wealth  of  soft,  long  hair,  partly 
taken  up  in  a  white  veil.  They  are  both  in  the 
Bellini  style.  The  "  Portrait  of  a  Man  "  is  by  an 
unknown  artist  who  belonged  to  the  school  of 
Antonello  da  Messina;  and  another  man's  portrait 
is  by  Romanino  (1485-1566),  a  finely  painted  head 
of  a  forty  years  old  savant.  Agnolo  Bronzino 
(1502-1572)  is  the  author  of  the  portrait  of  an 
aristocratic  looking  man,  rather  thinly  painted  but 
very  expressive. 

An  interesting  genre  is  a  "  Salome,"  palpably  by 
an  unknown  Umbrian  artist.  In  a  high,  open  hall 
with  colonnades  stands  a  large  table  behind  which 


Ube  irtalian  paintings  93 

are  seated  the  king  and  four  courtiers.  Salome 
enters  very  modestly,  in  a  red  garment  with  brocade 
sleeves,  and  offers  in  the  most  gracious  manner 
the  head  of  John  the  Baptist.  A  quaint  group  in 
the  foreground  is  a  lanky  page,  a  thickheaded 
court- fool,  a  dwarf  who  reaches  to  the  page's 
waist,  and  a  monkey. 

Among  a  few  old  Dutch  paintings  we  must 
single  out  a  work  by  Gerard  David  (1450-1523), 
showing  four  saints;  and  two  portraits,  of  a  man 
and  his  wife,  by  the  Cologne  artist  Bartol  Bruyn 
(1493-1556). 

The  next  cabinet,  36,  is  devoted  to  Bronzes  of 
the  Italian  Renaissance,  among  which  we  find  the 
work  of  Benvenuto  Cellini,  Sansovino,  Andrea 
Riccio,  Ghiberti,  and  especially  a  statue  of  John 
the  Baptist,  by  Donatello.  Then  we  retrace  our 
steps  through  the  cabinets  and  enter  the  galleries 
which  contain  the  sixteenth  century  paintings  of 
the  High  Renaissance. 

Room  45  —  Florentine  Paintings  of  the  16th 
Century 

The  highest  development  of  art  in  Italy  took 
place  in  the  sixteenth  century.  Of  course  the  cen- 
tury mark  does  not  denote  the  dividing  line  between 
the  Early  Renaissance  and  the  High  Renaissance. 
Some  men  working  towards  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 


94       'Q^be  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

century  reached  already  forward  in  expression, 
while  some  working  in  the  sixteenth  century  still 
retained  the  flavour  of  the  fifteenth.  There  was 
a  transition  period.  But  when  art  had  flowered 
to  its  highest  bloom  we  discover  just  as  distinguish- 
ing marks  between  the  High  and  the  Early  Re- 
naissance as  between  the  Early  Renaissance  and 
the  Gothic  or  Primitive  period  of  the  fourteenth 
century.  The  Gothic  period  had  been  pietistic; 
the  Early  Renaissance  studied  nature  and  the 
antique,  which  materialized  art  with  force  and 
character,  and  gave  it  full  possession  of  form  and 
movement;  the  High  Renaissance  attained  to  ele- 
gance, grace,  beauty,  and  the  full  complement  of 
colour.  Its  ideal  had  become  beauty,  for  its  own 
sake  and  regardless  of  its  theme. 

The  many  local  schools  of  the  Quattrocento  had 
with  increasing  intercourse  of  communication  grad- 
ually influenced  and  worked  upon  one  another,  and 
in  the  Cinquecento  we  find  but  two  remaining 
which  materially  differed  in  aim  and  aspiration. 
The  Florentines  were  draughtsmen  above  all. 
They  always  retained  a  certain  severity  and  aus- 
terity, being  exact  and  intellectual.  The  Vene- 
tians were  more  sensuous  and  luxurious,  and  sought 
pictorial  beauty  through  colour  —  not  merely  the 
colour  of  trivial  decoration,  but  the  splendour  of 
the  sublime  masses  of  chromatic  modelling. 


XTbe  irtaltan  paintings  95 

The  High  Renaissance  is  not  represented  in  the 
Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum  to  the  extent  of  the 
earlier  periods,  and  can  in  no  wise  be  compared 
with  the  wealth  of  the  Dresden  Gallery.  The  Solly 
Collection  contained  works  of  this  period  only  of 
the  second  or  third  rank,  and  the  acquisition  of 
important  examples  was  already  difficult  in  the 
forties  of  the  last  century  when  Waagen  did  his 
utmost  to  fill  the  gaps.  Since  then  the  competition 
of  private  collector  ship  made  it  well-nigh  impossi- 
ble to  purchase  the  few  valuable  works  that  ap- 
peared in  the  market.  Still  a  few  noteworthy 
examples  of  the  greatest  men  of  the  High  Renais- 
sance enable  us  to  continue  our  studies  of  Italian 
art. 

On  the  long  wall  to  our  left  on  entering  Gallery 
45  we  find  a  remarkable  work,  a  "  Resurrection 
of  Christ"  (90B),  that  has  given  rise  to  much 
controversy.  The  composition  is  an  unusual  one 
and  shows  the  Lord  rising  from  the  red  granite 
tomb,  whereof  the  slab  has  been  hurled  aside.  The 
body  soars,  as  it  were,  heavenward  with  uplifted 
hands,  one  holding  a  long  staff  with  a  banneret. 
The  white  grave-clothes  flutter  about  the  body.  On 
the  rocky  ground  near  the  grave  two  youthful 
saints  are  kneeling,  looking  in  silent  adoration,  but 
not  with  astonishment,  at  the  rising  form.  To  the 
right  is  St.  Lucia,  recognized  by  the  plate  which 


0       Zbc  Htt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  (3allertes 

she  holds  in  her  hands  on  which  her  eyes  are 
laid.  To  the  left  is  St.  Leonard,  the  patron  saint 
of  prisoners,  with  foot-irons  lying  by  his  side.  A 
rock  formation  is  built  up  around  the  tomb,  while 
a  beautiful  landscape,  intersected  by  a  twining  river, 
fills  the  background  to  the  left. 

Since  this  painting  was  acquired  in  1821  with 
the  Solly  Collection  it  had  lain  neglected  in  the 
storage  depot,  until  in  1884  Dr.  Bode  rescued  it 
with  the  attribution  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci  (1452- 
1519).  The  grounds  on  which  Dr.  Bode  claimed 
this  attribution  were  strong  enough  to  convince 
many  critics,  although  a  few  still  regard  the  paint- 
ing merely  as  a  studio-work.  It  is  certain  that 
the  figures  of  the  two  saints  are  typical  creations 
of  Leonardo.  The  fingers  play  an  important  role, 
for  the  artist  loves  best  to  declare  himself  with 
these.  The  characteristic  profile  of  the  young  monk 
occurs  in  many  of  the  master's  paintings  and  espe- 
cially in  his  numerous  drawings:  the  protruding, 
beautifully  formed  chin,  the  finely  shaped  mouth 
with  slightly  large  upperlip,  the  perfectly  modelled 
skull,  and  the  expression  of  the  features  which 
show  that  trusting,  self-losing  adoration  which  we 
find  in  his  painting  of  the  Last  Supper.  The  figure 
of  St.  Lucia  also  is  a  pure  type  of  Leonardo.  She 
kneels  in  a  noble  pose,  the  full- formed  body  be- 
speaking youthful  health  and  energy;  the  full  chin. 


Ube  irtalian  paintinas  97 

the  large  mouth  with  the  beautiful  lips,  the  deep- 
lying  eyes,  the  magnificent  neck,  and  the  look  up- 
ward which  is  like  Mona  Lisa's  awakening  —  all 
bear  the  mark  of  Leonardo's  touch.  The  landscape 
also  is  as  a  continuation  of  that  in  the  Mona  Lisa; 
and  the  subtle  charm  of  the  colour-gamut,  the 
choice  of  olive  tones  next  to  green,  the  yellow  with 
the  red  —  it  all  points  to  Leonardo's  brush. 

The  objections  to  this  attribution  lie  against  the 
soaring  body,  although  even  these  weaken  with 
constant  study.  We  must  acknowledge  that  the 
physiognomy  is  insipid  and  weak,  the  wide,  stark 
staring  of  the  eyes  is  exaggerated,  and  the  body, 
like  an  arrow  leaving  the  bow,  is  disturbing  and 
unlike  the  fine  judgment  which  Leonardo  exercises 
in  his  most  emphatic  motions.  The  real  insignifi- 
cance of  this  body  is  not  in  harmony  with  the  mag- 
nificent figures  at  the  bottom  of  the  painting,  nor 
with  the  remainder  of  the  composition,  and  we  may 
surmise  that  Leonardo,  who  so  rarely  finished  a 
picture,  left  also  this  incomplete  for  a  pupil  to 
finish  —  with  little  gratifying  success. 

Leonardo  was  the  earliest  of  the  great  Floren- 
tines who  reached  that  pitch  of  perfection  which 
has  never  been  surpassed.  Others  may  stand  be- 
side him  on  the  mountain  top,  but  none  has  ever 
scaled  a  loftier  height.  This  marvellous,  many- 
sided  genius,  who  was  a  great  mathematician  and 


98      Zbc  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

machinist,  a  physiologist,  a  chemist,  an  engineer, 
an  inventor  whose  devices  are  still  in  use,  like  the 
saws  employed  to-day  in  the  quarries  of  Carrara 
—  this  witty,  graceful  poet,  with  the  beauty  of  an 
Apollo,  was  the  first  perfect  painter  among  the 
moderns.  To  paint  the  eternal  norm  of  reality 
shrouded  in  seductive  ripples  of  enigmatic  mystery 
was  the  perfection  of  his  achievement.  He  had  a 
feeling  for  beauty  and  significance  that  has  scarcely 
ever  been  approached,  nothing  that  he  touched  but 
turned  into  a  thing  of  eternal  beauty,  life-commu- 
nicating. His  mind  of  power  so  versatile  and 
penetrating  has  created  works  that  might  elude  our 
grasp  because  of  their  curious  questioning  and 
their  feelings  so  sensitively  delicate,  so  preter- 
naturally  refined  —  they  also  present  in  most  tangi- 
ble shapes  the  most  beauteous  visions  of  the  realm 
of  dreams. 

Flanking  this  "  Resurrection "  is  a  large  altar- 
piece,  "Virgin  Enthroned  with  Saints"  (246),  by 
Andrea  del  Sarto  (1488-1530).  It  was  painted 
two  years  before  his  death  and  shows  the  master 
in  the  highest  fruition  of  his  talent  and  powers. 
The  architectonic  setting  is  a  niche,  in  which  the 
Madonna,  holding  the  child,  is  seated  as  in  a  shrine, 
with  steps  ascending  to  this  throne.  Coming  up 
these  steps,  and  only  showing  their  half -figures  are 
St.  Celsus  and  St.  Giulia,  and  on  the  broader  top- 


Zbc  ftaltan  patnttnas  99 

step  are  grouped  on  the  one  side  St.  Peter  holding 
the  key,  St.  Benedict  in  his  white  habit,  with  the 
aged  St.  Onofrius,  kneeling  naked  and  bent  over 
a  crutch.  On  the  other  side  of  the  throne  we 
see  St.  Marc,  St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  and  the  won- 
derfully beautiful  St.  Catharine  of  Alexandria,  who 
also  kneels,  and  in  her  beautiful  gown  of  rich 
colours  forms  a  striking  contrast  to  the  wretched, 
decrepit  nude  of  the  grey  hermit. 

The  importance  of  a  painting  by  del  Sarto  con- 
taining twelve  figures  may  be  estimated,  but  the 
work  is  still  more  striking  for  its  merit  than  for 
its  size.  The  original  and  learned  composition,  the 
elevated  and  grand  style,  the  vigorous  expression 
are  joined  with  that  quality  in  which  del  Sarto 
excelled  all  Florentines.  He  was  the  greatest  col- 
ourist  among  them,  the  only  one  who  thought  his 
composition  in  colour,  not  in  line.  Here  red,  in 
four  fine  tints,  is  the  dominating  key,  and  the  har- 
mony of  the  olive-green  and  the  bright  violet  in 
Giulia's  dress  is  captivating.  The  only  disturbing 
element  in  his  earlier  works  is  here  totally  absent. 
Often  we  note  his  figures  to  be  obviously  statu- 
esque, and  the  voluminous  draperies  arranged  and 
rearranged,  almost  smothering  the  persons  they 
cover.  In  this  highest  attainment  these  excesses 
fail,  and  there  is  a  quiet  reserve  and  dignity  in 
this  work  which  made  Vasari  consider  it  to  be  the 


loo     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  JBerltn  Galleries 

greatest  masterpiece  which  del  Sarto  has  pro- 
duced. 

In  the  kneehng  St.  Catharine  Andrea  has  intro- 
duced his  wife,  Lucrezia  del  Fede,  who  was  re- 
nowned for  her  beauty,  but  whose  coquettish- 
ness  and  shrewishness  made  her  the  demon  of  the 
artist's  life. 

The  Italians  called  him,  ''  il  pittore  senza  errori" 
or  "  the  faultless  painter."  They  meant  by  this 
that  in  all  the  technical  requirements  of  art,  in 
drawing,  composition,  handling  of  fresco  and  oils, 
disposition  of  draperies,  and  feeling  for  light  and 
shadow,  he  was  above  criticism.  His  silver-grey 
harmonies  and  liquid  blendings  of  cool  yet  lus- 
trous hues  have  a  charm  peculiar  to  himself  alone. 
But  he  lacked  what  made  da  Vinci  greater  —  in- 
spiration, depth  of  emotion,  energy  of  thought, 
We  are  apt  to  feel  that  even  his  best  pictures  were 
designed  with  a  view  to  solving  an  aesthetic 
problem. 

A  half-length  portrait  of  a  young  scholar  (245), 
hanging  next,  is  by  Andrea's  intimate  friend  and 
pupil  Franciabigio  (1482-1525),  a  genuine  Flor- 
entiner,  whose  strongly  demarked  lines  depict  with 
freedom  and  boldness.  The  thoughtful,  serious 
face  of  this  youth  is  turned  full  towards  us.  A 
two-pointed,  soft  felt  hat  covers  the  straggling 
hair.     The  sleeves  of  the  black  doublet  are  very 


XTbe  Italian  IPaintitXi^^;;  •    -      i^i 

large  and  stand  out  in  cumbersome  folds;  one 
hand  rests  on  a  writing-desk,  the  other  holds  a 
pen.  A  softly  painted,  dreamy  evening  landscape 
forms  the  background.  Another  portrait  of  a 
youth  (245 A),  although  attributed  to  Franciabigio, 
can  scarcely  have  come  from  the  same  hand.  The 
pose  of  the  head  produces  a  disagreeable  neck- 
contortion,  and  the  expression  of  the  face  is  fero- 
ciously morose. 

Franciabigio's  pupil,  Francesco  Ubertini  (1494- 
1557),  was  later  influenced  by  Leonardo.  A  casone 
front  represents  the  "Baptism  of  Christ"  {2(i7^, 
where  the  Messiah  in  view  of  a  large  multitude 
receives  the  sacred  rite  from  the  Baptist.  The 
landscape  setting  is  remarkably  naturalistic. 

A  large  altarpiece,  "  Assumption  of  Mary " 
(249),  is  by  Fra  Bartolommeo  (1472-1517),  the 
last  of  the  pietists  in  art,  whose  feeling  still  rests 
with  the  early  men,  but  whose  execution  led  peo- 
ple —  much  against  his  will  —  away  from  the  relig- 
ious symbol  to  the  admiration  of  sensuous  beauty. 
The  Apostles  and  the  Magdalene  kneel  around  the 
grave  among  roses  and  lilies  as  Mary  ascends,  sup-, 
ported  by  the  crescent  and  surrounded  by  angels 
making  music.  There  is  purity  and  nobility  of 
style  in  this  work,  joined  to  brilliancy  of  colouring, 
with  a  tendency  towards  employing  too  much  red, 
with  truth  and  elegance  in  the  dnaperies. 


I02      Z^bc  Btt  of  t\)c  JSerlln  Galleries 

The  great  contribution  made  by  Fra  Bartolom- 
meo  to  the  art  of  Italy  was  in  the  matter  of  com- 
position. He  exhibited  for  the  first  time  a 
thoroughly  scientific  scheme  of  grouping  based  on 
geometrical  principles.  Simple  figures  —  the  pyra- 
mid and  the  triangle,  upright,  inverted  and  inter- 
woven —  form  the  basis  of  the  composition  of  his 
pictures,  which  acquire  a  grasp  of  the  monumental 
such  as  no  other  paintings  possess.  This  science 
of  rhythmical  composing  communicated  an  impulse 
which  was  felt  by  all  that  followed  him  and  affected 
their  work  to  a  greater  or  less  extent.  Aside  of  this 
grand  sentiment  in  art,  however,  Fra  Bartolommeo 
does  not  rank  with  the  greater  masters.  His  pic- 
tures are  the  result  of  thought  rather  than  of 
observation.  He  was  careless  in  his  types,  with 
little  characterization,  slovenly  drawing,  and  care- 
less generalizing. 

We  will  now  turn  to  the  opposite  wall,  to  the 
right  of  the  door,  which  is  occupied  by  a  collection 
of  five  of  Raphael's  paintings,  all  Madonnas  of 
his  early  period.  Three  of  these  are  yet  distinctly 
Peruginesque,  while  two  date  from  his  Florentine 
residence,  from  1504  till  1508. 

Raphael  (1483-1520)  is  the  most  famous  and 
most  beloved  name  in  Italian  art.  It  stands  for 
the  ideal  of  spiritual  beauty  in  human  form  —  yet 
was  Raffaelo   Sanzio  da  Urbino  not  the  greatest 


XEbe  Italian  patnttngs  103 

artist.  His  genius  was  to  please.  Little  more  than 
this  is  found  in  the  best  of  his  works,  even  in  the 
Stanza  and  Loggia  of  the  Vatican,  but  he  does 
please  with  a  grace,  elegance,  elevation  of  style 
which  has  never  been  rivalled.  Therefore  he  may- 
be called  the  most  popular  artist  that  ever  lived. 
One  whose  popularity  has  never  died,  and  whose 
thousands  of  imitators  seek  to  this  day  to  win  the 
same  public  favour  —  although  with  them  beauty 
becomes  prettiness. 

Michelangelo  was  the  grander  and  more  power- 
ful; Titian  and  Veronese  lift  us  with  the  world's 
full  pride  and  splendour;  Rembrandt,  Constable, 
Velasquez,  Turner  have  the  noble  strength  that 
invigorates  and  inspires  —  Raphael's  temperament 
was  Hesperidean,  idyllic,  and  devoid  of  passion. 
He  gives  us  the  highest  gratification  of  intellectual 
enjoyment  which  still  leaves  us  calm,  and  never 
stirs  the  depths  of  our  soul. 

The  thing  that  is  most  worthy  of  admiration  in 
Raphael  is  a  certain  harmonious  combination  of 
all  artistic  excellences,  such  as  is  but  rarely  seen 
even  in  the  greatest  artists.  In  other  men  one  gift 
or  another  predominates,  in  Raphael  we  find  the 
various  qualities  of  talented  endowment  incompara- 
bly equipoised.  And  the  highest  expression  of  this 
harmony  is  perfect  beauty. 

These  early  Madonnas  which  we  find  here  are 


I04      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

small  half -figures,  such  as  were  popular  as  shrines 
for  family  devotions.  They  are  still  filled  with 
Umbrian  sentimentality.  The  small,  pursing 
mouth,  the  innocently  down-cast  eyes,  and  the  con- 
ventional composition  have  nothing  impressive; 
some  were  painted  after  drawings  of  his  paternal 
friend  Pinturicchio. 

The  first  is  the  so-called  "  Madonna  of  the  Col- 
lection Solly"  (141).  The  Madonna  holds  in  her 
right  hand  a  prayerbook,  and  with  the  other  she 
touches  lightly  the  little  foot  of  the  Child  that  sits 
in  her  lap.  The  little  one,  playing  with  a  gold- 
finch, has  turned  its  head  and  looks  in  the  prayer- 
book  with  a  rather  precociously  devout  expression. 
In  the  heads  we  note  yet  a  peculiar  struggling  with 
the  form.  The  original  drawing  of  Pinturicchio 
after  which  this  panel  was  painted  is  in  the  Louvre. 

A  little  later,  about  1502,  the  three  figure  piece, 
"  Madonna  with  St.  Francis  and  St.  Jerome " 
(145),  was  painted  after  the  drawing  by  Pintu- 
ricchio, now  in  the  Albertina  in  Vienna,  with  little 
modification.  This  is  also  weak,  and  St.  Jerome 
makes  the  conventional  movement  of  the  hand  to 
express  astonishment  which  is  an  Umbrian  stereo- 
type. 

In  the  third  panel,  the  "  Madonna  della  Casa 
Diotelevi ''  (147),  we  find  the  same  Peruginesque 
peculiarities  in  the  Child  and  the  little  John,  but 


XTbe  Iftaltan  paintings  105 

a  slight  individual  advancement  in  the  Madonna, 
a  tall,  long-necked  young  woman,  with  oval  face, 
round,  slightly  protruding  eyelids,  and  small  chin. 

When  Raphael  came  to  Florence  he  took  new 
impressions.  The  conventional  gradually  disap- 
peared and  he  began,  without  devotional  sentiment, 
to  present  the  lovely  fellowship  of  mother  and 
child.  The  finest  one  of  his  works  in  Berlin  is 
the  "Madonna  del  Duco  di  Terranuova  "  (247A), 
painted  about  1505.  In  a  landscape  with  wooded 
rocks,  with  a  city  with  churches  and  towers  in  the 
distance  on  the  left,  and  a  blue  sky  overhead,  sits 
the  Madonna,  looking  lovingly  on  the  Child. 
Jesus  is  stretched  in  her  lap  and  has  raised  himself 
to  accept  a  narrow  scroll  with  Ecce  Agnus  Dei, 
which  the  little  John  offers  him.  Mary  stretches 
her  left  hand  with  gentle  warning  towards  a  third- 
child,  probably  the  young  evangelist  John,  who 
presses  against  her  knee  watching  the  other  chil- 
dren. We  find  here  Raphael's  first  use  of  the 
pyramidical  form  of  composition,  introduced  by 
Fra  Bartolommeo,  and  which  he  thereafter  gener- 
ally adopted.  The  landscape  is  of  a  riper  develop- 
ment, and  the  general  impression  which  this  tondo 
gives  comes  very  near  to  those  in  Paris,  London, 
and  Vienna. 

Towards  the  end  of  his  Florentine  sojourn,  in 
1508,   Raphael   designed   the   so-called   "  Madonna 


io6      XTbe  Htt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

di  Casa  Colonna"  (248).  The  bright  colour  and 
the  absence  of  shadows  show  that  the  work  is  not 
completed.  Crowe  and  Cavalcaselle  even  declare 
that  only  the  drawing  is  by  Raphael,  and  the  paint- 
ing, as  far  as  it  went,  was  done  by  a  pupil.  The 
scene  is  rather  animated.  The  Christ-child  has 
become  quite  a  boy,  who  is  no  longer  satisfied  to 
be  quietly  in  his  mother's  lap,  and  turns  and  twists 
to  get  on  his  feet.  With  one  hand  he  takes  hold 
of  the  mother's  shoulder  and  the  other  clutches  the 
breast-band  of  her  dress.  With  amused  pride  she 
looks  down  on  the  playing  boy,  while  she  holds  the 
prayerbook  —  one  of  Raphael's  first  motives  —  out 
of  harm's  way.  The  landscape  background  is  only 
slightly  indicated. 

At  Parma  there  appeared  with  the  beginning  of 
the  century  the  greatest  painter,  but  not  the  great- 
est artist,  of  the  Cinquecento,  Antonio  Allegri, 
called  Correggio  (1494-1534).  On  the  wall  to  the 
right  of  the  Raphael  wall  hangs  Correggio's  famous 
"Leda  with  the  Swan"   (218). 

This  is  one  of  four  paintings  illustrating  the 
erotic  Zeus  mythology,  which  the  artist  painted  for 
the  Due  Frederico  II  Gonzaga,  of  Mantua.  The 
"  Danae  "  hangs  now  in  the  Galleria  Borghese,  and 
both  the  "lo"  and  the  "  Ganymed "  in  Vienna. 
There  is  a  deep  cosmic  significance  underlying  these 
stories  which   Correggio  has  so  graphically  per- 


Zbc  f  talian  ipatnttngs  107 

trayed  —  the  overshadowing,  fructifying  power  of 
the  supreme,  divine  force  descending  on  nature's 
four  elements,  on  Earth  in  lo,  on  Water  in  Leda, 
on  Air  in  Ganymed,  and  on  Fire  in  Danae. 

The  love-scene  in  the  Leda  is  played  in  three 
parts.  On  one  side  we  see  Leda  pursued  by  the 
Swan  whom  she  coquettishly  repulses.  In  the 
centre  is  that  wonderfully  conceived  group  of  the 
Swan's  embrace,  and  then  again  we  see  her  emer- 
ging from  the  water  where  two  maidens  run  to  cover 
her,  as  she  is  still  looking  back  with  a  naive  ex- 
pression of  gratified  delight  after  the  royal  bird 
which  is  flying  away.  In  the  left  comer  two  little 
love-gods  are  desporting  themselves.  All  these 
various  scenic  elements  are  united  by  the  back- 
ground of  magnificent  trees  and  foliage,  the  colour- 
scheme  being  further  enhanced  by  the  light  blue 
and  the  rose  of  the  garments  of  the  two  servant 
maidens.  In  the  marvellous  colour  of  rosy  pink 
of  the  nude  figures,  the  play  of  light  and  shade 
through  the  foliage,  the  brilliant  white  of  the  Swan, 
the  deeper  tones  of  the  trees,  sings  the  most  won- 
derful colour-harmony  ever  conceived.  For  Cor- 
reggio  was  the  greatest  colourist,  even  surpassing 
therein  the  Venetians. 

Correggio  introduces  us  to  ancient  grace  and 
pagan  voluptuousness,  but  his  wantonness  is  inno- 
cent, because  unconscious  of  sin,  and  his  sensuous 


io8      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  :Berlin  Galleries 

imagining  does  not  disturb  the  serenity  of  his  soul. 
He  is  unique  in  that  he  ventures  to  unite  the  high- 
est idealism  clothed  in  the  most  ardent  beauty  with 
earthly  realism  in  an  indissoluble  blend.  In  a  way 
shut  off  from  Florence  and  Venice  he  still  rivalled 
in  craftsmanship  the  greatest  wielders  of  the  brush 
in  either  place,  with  faultless  draughtsmanship, 
unexcelled  chiaroscuro,  in  one  word  the  most  per- 
fect technique. 

The  pictures  of  the  Milan  group  of  painters  are 
on  the  wall  divided  by  the  door  from  the  Raphael 
wall. 

Vincenzo  Foppa  had  started  a  school  in  Milan 
in  the  fifteenth  century,  but  the  Milanese  always 
seem  to  have  been  dependent  on  Florentine  in- 
fluences. Thus  the  residence  in  Milan  of  Leonardo 
da  Vinci,  from  1482  until  1492,  created  a  number 
of  followers  who  sought  to  perpetuate  his  type  and 
methods.  The  most  characteristic  example  of  the 
school  here,  which  shows  the  manner  wherein 
Leonardo's  charm  of  personal  presentment  is  car- 
ried further  to  weakened  sentimentality,  is  the 
"Annunciation"  (213.  Plate  IX),  by  Gau- 
denzio  Ferrari  (1470-1546).  The  painting  is  of 
glowing  colour  with  a  golden  sheen,  with  deco- 
rative curves  and  lines,  and  a  charm  of  elegance  that 
is  perhaps  carried  somewhat  too  far.  The  maidenly 
modesty  in  the  face  of  the  Virgin  is  a  lovely  foil 


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GAUDENZIO 
FERRARI 


ANNUNCIATION 
Plate  IX 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Uhc  irtaltan  iPainttn^s  109 

to  the  joy-bearing  expression  of  the  heavenly  mes- 
senger. A  comparison  between  Plates  III  and  IX 
will  show  the  development  from  the  early  to  the 
later  style  of  treatment  of  this  subject. 

Of  more  independent  build  was  Antonio  Bol- 
traffio  (1467-1516),  whose  "St.  Barbara"  (207) 
is  a  somewhat  sterner  presentation  of  the  Leonar- 
desque  type.  The  saint,  a  noble,  stately  figure,  faces 
the  onlooker;  her  hair  is  encircled  with  a  graceful 
diadem  and  flows  down  over  her  shoulders;  her 
dress  falls  in  long,  full  folds  down  to  the  ground. 
In  the  background  is  the  tower  from  which  she 
was  cast,  according  to  the  legend. 

A  closer  follower  again  of  Leonardo  was  Marco 
d'Oggione  (1470-1530),  whose  "St.  Sebastian" 
(210A),  however,  is  not  enjoyable,  with  the  sharp, 
withered  tree-branches  sticking  into  the  air.  The 
attempt  to  rival  Leonardo's  nude  painting  is  ap- 
parent, but  unsuccessful. 

Leonardo's  most  intimate  friend  and  heir  to  his 
literary  work  was  Francesco  Melzi  (1491-1566), 
a  young  man  of  noble  family.  His  "  Vertumnus 
and  Pomona  "  (222)  is  the  only  mythological  work 
of  these  Milanese.  Under  an  elm  around  which  a 
vine  is  winding  sits  Pomona,  a  lovely  figure  with 
a  transparent  veil  clingingly  draped  around  her 
well-moulded  form.  Around  her  mouth  plays  that 
same  quizzical  smile  which  we  find  in  the  Mona 


no     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

Lisa,  giving  the  face  an  indefinable  charm.  She 
holds  a  small  basket  with  fruit  at  her  side  on  the 
seat.  The  scene  is  taken  from  Ovid's  Metamor- 
phoses where  Vertumnus,  the  god  o-f  the  seasons, 
in  the  guise  of  an  old  woman,  seeks  to  win  the 
charming  goddess  of  the  garden,  and  when  she 
accepts  the  endearments  of  her  elderly  friend 
changes  into  the  form  of  a  handsome  youth,  which 
does  not  change  the  maiden's  submissiveness. 

One  of  the  best  pupils  of  Leonardo  was  Sodoma 
(1477-1549),  who  after  his  training  went  south 
and  settled  in  Siena,  where  he  somewhat  revived 
that  old  school  which  in  early  times  had  been  so 
important,  but  had  long  since  gone  into  decay. 
Still  the  revival  of  art  there  was  but  slight. 
Sodoma's  "  Caritas  "  (109)  is  an  early  work  of 
great  charm.  The  half -draped  figure  of  the  woman 
representing  Charity,  who  carries  a  small  child, 
while  two  others  press  at  her  knees,  looms  some- 
what large  and  statuesque  above  the  surrounding 
landscape.  The  modelling  is  firm,  and  the  nude 
upper  part  of  the  body  has  fine  flesh  colour. 

In  Gallery  30  we  have  already  seen  two  por- 
traits by  Bronzino,  the  late  Florentine  portrait 
painter.  Two  more  hang  here,  whereof  one  pre- 
sents the  counterfeit  of  Count  Ugolino  Martelli 
(338A),  a  famous  humanist  of  his  time.  The 
young  man  sits  in  the  courtyard  of  his  palace, 


Ubc  irtaltan  paintinas  m 

dressed  in  black  velvet,  and  a  barette  covering  his 
close-cut  hair.  His  delicate,  pale  hands  are  not 
used  to  handle  the  broad-sword  but  fondle  the 
bright  blue-leather  binding  of  his  incunabili. 
Behind  him  is  seen  the  marble  statue  of  David, 
by  Donatello,  which  to  this  day  is  found  in  the 
Palazzo  Martelli.  For  nobility  of  conception, 
purity  of  drawing,  and  delicate  brushwork  this  is 
one  of  the  finest  works  in  Italian  portraiture. 

The  other  portrait  of  a  young  man  (338)  seated 
on  a  stone  bench  and  holding  a  letter  in  his  hand, 
is  as  simple  in  composition  and  vital  etxpres- 
sion. 

Before  we  leave  this  room  we  must  tarry  a 
moment  before  the  marble  statue  of  the  youthful 
John  the  Baptist,  which  stands  in  the  centre  of 
the  room,  and  is  attributed  to  Michelangelo  (1474- 
1564).  It  was  acquired  in  1875,  in  Italy,  because 
the  Italians  did  not  regard  it  as  a  genuine  work 
of  the  great  sculptor  —  a  doubt  still  shared  by  a 
large  number  of  connoisseurs.  The  mobility  of  the 
figure  is  somewhat  against  the  attribution,  even 
though  it  might  be  an  early  work.  Vasari  speaks 
of  a  statue  of  John  of  1496,  and  before  that  year 
the  work  of  Michelangelo  bears  a  strong  depend- 
ence on  Jacopo  della  Quercia.  The  pose  is  beau- 
tiful enough  as  the  youth  stands  gazing  at  the 
honey-comb  which  he  holds  in  his  left  hand.     The 


112     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Oallertes 

right  hand  is  gracefully  raised  before  his  left 
breast,  and  is  said  to  have  held  the  cross-staff 
without  which  the  forerunner  was  never  seen.  All 
earlier  statues  of  John  have  a  more  spiritual  motif, 
its  absence  here  is  a  strong  argument  in  favour  of 
the  great  master's  handiwork.  The  beauty  of  the 
lines,  the  firmness  of  the  modelling,  the  strength 
of  the  pose,  despite  its  grace,  makes  one  wonder 
who  else  could  have  chiselled  this  remarkable 
statue. 

Room  46  —  Venetian  Paintings  of  the  16th 
Century 

This  gallery  contains  the  Venetian  paintings  of 
the  High  Renaissance.  If  Raphael's  name  has  been 
Called  the  most  famous  and  best  beloved  name  in 
Italian  art,  Titian's  name  is  the  greatest. 

Tiziano  Vecellio  (1477-1576)  is  the  supreme  gen- 
ius in  that  vast  arena  of  pictographers  who  for 
three  centuries  have  created  on  wall  and  panel  what 
makes  Italy  to-day  the  art-palace  of  the  world. 
Titian's  was  not  a  nervous  force,  rather  an  ob- 
serving one.  First  trained  in  the  soulful  feeling 
of  Giambellini's  last  years,  then  influenced  by 
Giorgione's  soft,  restful  and  yet  free  improviza- 
tions,  Titian  quietly  developed  by  the  strength  of 
inherent  genius  to  surmount  ever  new  possibilities 
that  led  to  the  ultimate  perfection  of  his  art.    His 


Ube  Italian  IPaintin^s  113 

greatest  power  was  in  colour  —  for  he  was  a 
Venetian  —  in  which  from  the  glowing  local  colour 
of  Bellini  he  ascended  to  the  marvellous  chiaros- 
curo of  his  latest  work.  In  his  technical  as  in  his 
spiritual  qualities  he  had  the  greatest  mastery  of 
art  —  there  is  no  faint  fleck  upon  the  sun  of  his 
just  splendour. 

The  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum  shows  four  works 
by  Titian,  all  portraits,  and  in  portraiture  Titian 
has  accomplished  the  greatest  marvels.  When  we 
compare  the  wonderfully  rich,  lifelike  presenta- 
tions by  this  Titan  with  those  of  others  of  the 
greatest  portrait  painters,  we  note  that  in  their 
work  always  the  artist  himself  appears— with  Titian 
never.  With  van  Dyck  the  impenitently  perfunc- 
tory nobility  of  his  sitters  must  in  the  end  weary; 
with  Rubens  the  ever  present  floridity  bespeaks  the 
master;  with  Rembrandt  there  is  a  varying  of  ex- 
pression, from  the  Anatomy  Lesson  to  his  last  self- 
portraits  which  is  a  mirror  of  moods;  with  Hals, 
except  in  his  greatest  group-pictures,  we  always 
detect  bravura;  even  with  Velasquez  there  is  a 
note  of  the  aristocratic  painter  that  pervades  his 
subjects.  Titian's  portraits  are  nature  unqualified. 
The  persons  themselves  appear,  just  as  they  are, 
bodily  and  spiritually,  without  emendation  or  addi- 
tion. The  reality  of  their  existence  is  startlingly 
convincing. 


114     Ube  art  ot  tb€  Berlin  Galleries 

He  has  painted  himself  here  (163)  when  sev- 
enty-five years  old.  A  black  velvet  cap  covers  the 
hair  and  frames  the  solid  skull.  The  full  beard 
is  grizzly,  the  bushy  eyebrows  hang  over  fiery,  at- 
tentive eyes.  The  pose,  one  hand  resting  on  his 
thigh,  the  other  on  the  green  covered  table,  shows 
him  as  if  seated  in  conversation  with  some  one, 
the  lips  ready  to  open  for  retort.  The  background 
is  a  quiet  flat  colour,  his  silk  doublet  shimmers,  and 
a  long-haired,  black  fur  coat  is  thrown  over  his 
shoulders. 

As  a  contrast  we  look  at  the  portrait  of  a  child 
(160A),  the  little  daughter  of  Roberto  Strozzi, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  delightful  child-pictures 
ever  painted.  The  Strozzi,  one  of  the  wealthiest 
families  in  Italy,  had  to  leave  Florence  on  account 
of  their  revolutionary  activity  against  Cosimo  de 
Medici,  and  had  sought  refuge  in  Venice,  where 
Roberto  had  Titian  paint  the  portrait  of  his 
daughter  in  1542.  The  child  is  about  four  years 
old.  She  stands  at  the  side  of  a  tabouret,  on 
which  sits  her  pet  dog,  which  she  fondles  as  she 
looks  with  slightly  turned  head  out  of  the  picture. 
The  child  is  exquisitely  charming  with  its  red- 
brown  curl-head  and  chubby  arms.  She  is  dressed 
in  all  the  pomp  of  a  rich  heiress,  with  a  frock 
of  white  silk,  a  pearl  string  around  her  neck,  and 
a  jewelled  girdle  from  which  is  suspended  a  rattle 


Ube  Utaltan  palnttnas  us 

set  with  precious  stones.  Through  the  window  be- 
hind her  is  seen  a  lovely  landscape  of  hills  and 
dales. 

The  finest  female  portrait  Titian  ever  painted  is 
that  of  his  daughter  "  Lavinia "  (166  Frontis- 
piece). There  is  little  of  inner  feeling  about  the 
face,  and  the  fact  that  the  father  painted  her  about 
the  same  time  as  Salome,  which  picture  is  now  in 
Madrid,  suggests  that  he  was  satisfied  to  use  her 
merely  as  a  model  of  blooming  female  beauty, 
possibly  being  aware  that  no  exceeding  spiritual 
qualities  existed.  As  a  type,  however,  of  female 
beauty  she  is  wonderful.  The  girl  is  carrying  a 
large  silver  dish,  loaded  with  fruit  and  flowers 
and  held  high  before  her,  and  looks  back  at  us  over 
her  shoulder.  The  grace  of  this  pose  is  rhyth- 
mically charming.  The  face,  although  with  little 
expression,  is  very  beautiful,  with  its  big,  dark 
eyes,  budding  lips,  and  waving  auburn  hair,  clasped 
by  a  jewelled  diadem. 

The  excellent  portrait  of  a  young  man  (301) 
was  painted  some  twenty-five  years  earlier,  about 
1525,  and  was  formerly  ascribed  to  Tintoretto, 
until,  being  cleaned,  Titian's  genuine  signature  be- 
came visible. 

The  portrait  of  the  Venetian  admiral  Giovanni 
Moro  (161),  which  for  long  went  by  the  name 
of   Titian,   must   rather   be   ascribed   to   the    Fer- 


ii6       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

rarese  Dosso  Dossi.  Two  small  panels  with  play- 
ing putti  (159,  160)  bear  evidence  of  Titian's 
studio. 

Tintoretto,  as  Jacopo  Robusti  (1518-1592),  that 
other  giant  of  the  Renaissance,  was  called,  is  shown 
here  by  six  examples.  This  "  furious  painter," 
with  all  his  clash  and  tumult,  always  working  in 
the  white  heat  of  passion,  was  a  master  in  line 
and  colour.  By  his  light-effects  he  changes  a  soli- 
tude into  dreamland,  and  the  immense  energy  of 
his  figures  acts  as  a  bracing  tonic  to  the  eye  weary 
of  what  is  commonplace. 

His  "Annunciation"  (298A)  gives  us  at  once 
the  impression  of  the  swish  and  swing  of  his  cre- 
ative power.  Through  a  forehall  we  look  to  a 
portico  and  thence  into  the  distant  green  of  meadow 
and  woods.  The  Virgin  has  risen  from  the  read- 
ing of  a  pious  book  to  welcome  unafraid  the 
heavenly  messenger  who  enters  on  rolling  clouds 
in  flaming  fire,  "  Ecce  ancilla  domini."  How  far 
is  this  big  feeling  and  spacious  conception  removed 
from  the  narrow  bonds  of  a  Quattrocento  work 
with  its  elaborate  detail ! 

In  his  "  Mary  with  the  Child  adored  by  the 
Evangelists  Marc  and  Luke "  (300)  he  seeks  to 
carry  us  away  by  the  mighty  forms,  the  vivacious 
composition,  and  the  powerful  contrasts  of  light 
and  shade.     This  work  of  his  late  period  foretells 


Ubc  irtalian  IPalnttnas  117 

the  errors  of  excess  into  which  the  later  Roman 
school  was  to  fall. 

His  portraits  belong  entirely  to  his  golden  time, 
full  of  expression,  and  of  broad,  energetic  treat- 
ment. The  three  portraits  of  Venetian  Procurators 
(298,  299,  316)  were  votif -paintings  which  the 
new  officials  offered  for  the  council-chamber  at 
their  installation. 

His  "Luna  with  the  Horae  "  (310)  is  a  mytho- 
logical composition  of  great  decorative  quality. 
The  half -draped  figures  are  perfectly  formed  and 
juxtaposed  in  light  and  shade-effect  with  remark- 
able power. 

It  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  the  history  of  art 
that  a  man  of  such  boundless  productivity,  such 
unlimited  energy,  such  an  all-embracing  improvisa- 
tion, should  have  accomplished  works  many  of 
which  are  equal  to  Titian's  —  it  is  less  of  a  marvel 
that  Annibale  Carracci  justly  said  of  him, 
"  Tintoretto  is  often  inferior  to  Tintoretto." 

Paolo  Caliari,  called  Veronese  (1528-1588),  was 
as  decorative  as  Tintoretto,  but  whereas  the  latter 
was  dramatic,  Paolo  was  scenic.  The  two  men  had 
much  in  common,  their  difference  in  temperament 
alone  being  accountable  for  the  difference  in  their 
art.  The  scathing  impetuosity  of  Tintoretto  made 
his  art  passionate,  daring,  almost  blinding.  The 
amiability  and  gentleness  of  Veronese  led  identical 


ii8     XTbe  Htt  of  tbe  JSerltn  Gallertes 

qualities  of  art  into  scenes  of  splendour,  over- 
power ingly  pompous,  of  frank  and  joyous  world- 
liness. 

Veronese  is  shown  here  by  four  allegorical  works 
prepared  for  the  banquet  hall  of  the  German 
Merchants  Club,  the  Fondaco  de'  Tedeschi,  in 
Venice;  No.  303  is  a  conversazione  between  Ger- 
mania,  Jupiter  and  Fortuna;  No.  304  portrays 
the  victory  of  true  religion  over  heresy  by  the 
aid  of  Saturn;  No.  309  illustrates  the  martial 
prowess  of  Germania,  as  symbolized  by  Minerva 
and  Mars;  and  No.  311  glorifies  its  musical 
powers,  typified  by  Apollo  and  Juno.  The  design 
of  these  works  has  all  the  fertility  of  invention, 
ingenious  arrangements  and  disposition  of  light 
which  characterize  the  master,  but  the  execution 
must  have  been  made  principally  by  assistants,  for 
the  colour  is  too  flat  to  have  been  laid  on  by  the 
wielder  of  such  a  florid  brush  as  Paolo  possessed. 

The  men  who,  only  in  comparison  with  these 
supreme  masters,  must  be  accorded  a  second  rank  in 
the  hierarchy  of  art  are  in  many  ways  almost  equal 
to  the  greater  lights.  Palma  Vecchio  (1480-1528) 
was  one  of  these.  To  him  especially  do  we  owe 
our  knowledge  of  the  Venetian  beauties  of  his  time 
by  those  delightful  half-figures  which  express  the 
full  bloom  of  luxurious  grace  in  beaming  rays. 
They  give  a  reflection  of  abiding  youth  and  the 


Zbc  Iftaltan  patntinas  119 

untroubled  joy  of  life  —  worldly  Madonnas,  di- 
vested of  saintly  folds  and  arrayed  in  all  the  opu- 
lent splendour  which  fashion  prescribed  at  the 
moment,  whereof  rouge  and  bleached  hair  were 
a  part.  Whether  the  two  female  likenesses  (197 
A  and  B)  are  portraits  or  ideal  heads  we  cannot 
tell.  The  emptiness  of  character  which  is  a  defect 
in  his  known  portraits  does  not  enable  us  to  dis- 
tinguish his  portraits  readily  from  his  fanciful 
creations.  They  all  give  the  impression  of  being 
women  who  are  most  attractive  so  long  as  they 
do  not  talk.  The  "Portrait  of  a  Man"  (174) 
has  more  vital  expression,  and  of  two  Madonnas 
the  earHest  (31),  still  painted  under  BelHni's  in- 
fluence, is  interesting,  while  the  other  (183)  is  in 
the  vacuous  style  of  his  handsome  women. 

Palma  was  not  a  great  master  in  the  full  mean- 
ing of  the  term,  he  had  neither  the  weight  nor  the 
versatility  of  Titian,  nor  the  highest  gifts  of  a 
colourist  like  Giorgione,  nor  the  force  or  impetu- 
osity of  a  Tintoretto.  But  he  was  very  little  be- 
hind these  in  the  small  field  that  he  cultivated. 
He  was  the  inventor  of  the  Santa  Conversazione, 
a  kind  of  composition  which  quickly  found  great 
favour  in  Venice.  These  pictures,  purporting  to 
be  the  Holy  Family,  alone  or  with  saints  grouped 
around  them,  are  in  reality  nothing  but  representa- 
tions of  the  Venetians  at  their  favourite  recreation. 


I20       XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

a  day's  picnic  in  the  country.  But  in  all  his  work 
he  always  betokens  the  superficiality  of  his  artistic 
nature. 

Lorenzo  Lotto  (1480-1556),  Palma's  friend  and 
fellow-worker,  is  represented  here  with  two  sacred 
subjects  and  one  of  his  incomparable  portraits.  The 
"Farewell  of  Christ  to  his  Mother"  (325)  must 
be  a  very  early  work,  for  the  different  style-in- 
fluences to  which  Lotto  was  subjected  in  his  years 
of  travel  are  very  manifest.  The  kneeling  Christ 
and  the  fainting  Mary  are  drawn  with  an  ex- 
cessive manifestation  of  grief,  and  the  surrounding 
figures  display  their  sorrow  in  a  manner  that 
seems  decidedly  affected.  The  perspective  of  the 
long  hall  with  arches  and  porticoes  gives  a  distant 
view  of  a  walled  garden  bathed  in  light.  Two 
altarwings  (323)  present  St.  Sebastian,  pierced  by 
arrows  and  bound  to  a  tree,  and  St.  Christopher, 
on  the  shore  of  a  lake  carrying  the  Christ-child 
on  his  shoulders.  These  figures,  standing  in 
pointed  architectural  arches,  have  good  colour  and 
are  full  of  Venetian  spirit. 

The  religious  pictures  of  Lotto  are  marked  by 
an  intense  fervour  of  a  peculiar,  paradoxical  na- 
ture. His  is  a  pathetic  fancy  in  a  most  lively  com- 
position. His  altarpieces  breathe  forth  a  lyrical, 
free,  and  almost  joyous  spirit  still  overshadowed 
by  his  own  melancholic  temperament,  whereby  he 


Ube  irtalian  ipaintin^s  121 

gives  a  sense  of  discomfort  mingled  with  delight 
—  in  a  word,  a  voluptuous  solemnity  sets  them  apart 
from  all  other  sacred  paintings. 

But  Lotto  was  at  his  best  in  his  portraits,  and 
the  "Portrait  of  an  Architect"  (153)  is  one  that 
in  many  respects  comes  near  to  Titian.  The  full- 
bearded  man  stands  looking  at  us  as  he  holds  a 
scroll  of  paper  in  one  hand,  while  the  forefinger 
of  the  other  hand,  which  holds  a  draughtsman's 
compass,  rests  lightly  on  the  end  of  the  scroll.  It 
seems  as  if  the  earnest,  intellectual  looking  man 
is  explaining  something  about  the  plan  he  has  pre- 
pared. Lotto's  great  psychological  skill  makes  his 
portraits  so  marvellous. 

Another  portrait  painter  of  Titian's  school  was 
Paris  Bordone  (1500-1570),  whose  colour  was 
gorgeous,  as  seen  in  his  large  altarpiece  of  the 
"Madonna  Enthroned,  with  Saints"  (191),  al- 
though it  lacks  truth  of  form.  The  architectural 
symmetry  is  enlivened  by  the  dexterous  placing  of 
the  figures.  The  double  portrait  of  two  men  play- 
ing chess  (169)  is  better  than  the  costume-plate 
of  a  red-haired  lady  (198),  with  a  cherry-red 
gown  and  a  white  feather-barette,  which  is  much 
like  Palma's  work. 

A  very  attractive,  romantic  picture,  is  by 
Giovanni  Busi,  called  Cariani  (1485-1550),  a 
Giorgione    follower,    who    came    originally    from 


122       Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

Bergamo.  The  young  lady,  only  dressed  in  a  sin- 
gle flowing  robe,  has  left  yonder  castle  for  a  walk 
with  her  lap-dog,  and  has  now  reclined  herself, 
with  her  back  towards  us,  in  the  flowery  mead. 
Sans  gene  she  allows  the  drapery  to  fall  from  her 
and  leave  her  back,  right  arm  and  shoulder  bare, 
and  she  looks  around  at  us  with  a  rather  self-con- 
scious impertinence.  She  is  not  the  least  disturbed 
by  the  exciting  scenes  she  might  view  if  she  cared 
to  look  at  these  instead  of  us,  for  in  the  middle 
distance  horsemen  are  fighting,  in  the  hills  a  storm 
is  raging  with  thunder  and  lightning,  and  farther 
yet  a  whole  city  is  in  flames.  The  picture  may 
well  have  been  an  illustration  to  one  of  Ariosto's 
exciting  poems. 

The  much  later  Francesco  da  Ponte  Bassano 
(1549-1592)  is  noted  for  his  presentation  of  re- 
ligious subjects  in  a  very  commonplace,  ordinary 
way.  His  "Good  Samaritan"  (314),  presented 
in  a  conventional  manner,  with  the  departing  Levite 
in  the  distance,  attracts  most  by  the  genrelike  treat- 
ment of  the  minor  details,  principally  of  the  domes- 
tic animals.     His  colouring  is  natural  and  brilliant. 

From  the  Venetian  territories,  Friaul,  Verona, 
Brescia,  the  men  of  Brescia  are  the  most  important, 
of  whom  Moretto  was  the  strongest.  Savoldo 
(1480-1548),  also  of  Brescia,  was  a  superficial 
painter,  whose  "  Burial  of  Christ "  (307A)  pleases 


Xtbe  Italian  paintings  123 

passingly  by  the  effect  of  the  setting  sun,  and 
the  evening  shadows  playing  in  the  foreground. 
His  "  Venetian  Lady  "  (307)  was  one  of  the  popu- 
lar paintings  of  its  day,  often  imitated  or  copied, 
even  by  men  like  Ludovico  Carracci,  by  whom  there 
is  a  copy  of  our  picture  in  Warwick  castle.  It  is 
a  most  attractive  young  girl  whose  sweetly  smiling 
face  peeps  coquettishly  from  under  the  hood  of  the 
brownish  yellow  silk  mantle  that  covers  her. 

Romanino  (1485-1566)  was  a  very  uneven 
painter,  often  careless  in  execution.  His  "  Pieta  " 
(151)  is  much  better  than  the  "Madonna  and 
Child,  with  Saints"  (157),  which  is  an  early 
work.  The  heavy  heads,  swollen  bodies,  and  ex- 
pressionless features  of  the  saints  are  only  slightly 
redeemed  by  the  sweetness  of  Mary's  face  and  the 
charm  of  the  fluttering  cherubim  around  her.  The 
Pieta  excels  in  the  exquisitely  soft  colouring  and 
the  lightness  and  swing  of  the  composition. 

The  youngest  and  best  of  these  Brescian  painters 
was  Alessandro  Bonvicino,  called  Moretto  (1498- 
1554),  a  man  who  stood  quite  apart  from  later 
Venetian  influences,  for  his  colour  is  far  from 
bold  or  striking,  rather  delicate  and  with  a  silvery 
tone.  The  spirit  of  his  work,  also,  is  more  elevated, 
and  reminds  of  Giambellini's  devotion.  We  find 
here  one  of  his  acknowledged  masterpieces,  "  Mary 
and    Elizabeth    in    Glory"    (197).     Reclining   on 


124     Zbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

wide  swinging  clouds  are  Mary  and  Elizabeth  with 
the  Children  and  surrounded  by  cherubim.  One 
of  these  is  descending  to  carry  a  scroll  to  the 
donor,  the  Abbot  Arnoldi,  an  aged  cleric  of  rev- 
erent mien.  Opposite  him  kneels  a  young  frater, 
who  lays  his  hand  deprecatingly  upon  his  breast 
as  he  looks  up  toward  the  heavenly  vision.  The 
white  robes  in  which  they  are  dressed  stand  out 
beautifully  against  the  deep  greys  of  the  landscape 
background,  while  the  low  tones  of  the  garments 
of  the  women  rest  harmoniously  on  the  glowing 
yellow  of  the  sky. 

Of  his  only  pupil,  Giovanni  Moroni,  we  have 
already  seen  two  portraits  (in  Cabinet  33).  A 
third  hangs  here,  the  "  Portrait  of  a  Savant " 
(193A),  in  a  simple,  dignified  pose  and  quiet  colour. 
Two  other  portraits  hang  on  the  same  wall;  one 
by  Sebastiano  del  Piombo  is  the  portrait  of  a 
nobleman  in  the  Knight's  dress  of  the  Order  of 
Santiago  (259A),  done  in  a  noble,  almost  severe 
style,  with  vigorous  colouring.  The  other  is  by 
Catena,  a  pupil  of  Giovanni  Bellini,  whom  he 
imitated  with  great  facility.  His  portrait  here  of 
Count  Raimund  Fugger  (32)  has  quite  a  modern 
expression. 

Two  paintings  remain  yet  to  be  mentioned.  They 
are  of  especial  interest  because  they  are  landscapes, 
and    painted    as    such.      The    few    mythological 


Zbc  Italian  patntinos  125 

figures  introduced  do  not  in  the  least  detract  from 
the  reaHstic  scene  of  out-of-doors.  Venice  took 
an  early  start  in  picturing  nature  for  its  own  sake. 
We  recall  the  small  coast-scene  of  Cima,  and  the 
landscape  in  the  triptychon  by  the  so-called  Pseudo- 
Basaiti.  With  Giorgione  and  Titian  the  romanti- 
cism of  natural  settings  becomes  apparent,  with 
Andrea  Meldolla  (1522-1563),  called  Schiavone, 
its  realism  becomes  recognized.  His  "  Mountain 
Landscape"  (182A)  shows  a  rough  country  with 
heights  and  clefts  and  hanging  rocks,  and  clumps 
of  trees  scattered  about.  The  "  Wood  Landscape  " 
(182B)  is  a  forest  spread  over  rolling  ground. 
On  the  one  the  punishment  of  Midas  is  added,  but 
only  as  an  accessory,  on  the  other  Diana  is  hunt- 
ing with  her  nymphs. 

Room  47  —  Italian  Paintings  of  the  17th 
AND  18th  Centuries 

The  great  age  of  Italian  art  extended  from  the 
beginning  of  the  artistic  career  of  Leonardo  da 
Vinci  to  the  close  of  the  life  of  Titian  with  Raphael 
as  the  centre.  The  end  of  the  sixteenth  century 
brought  the  close  of  the  golden  era  and  the  de- 
cadence of  art  in  Italy.  It  seemed  that  all  had 
been  said.  Invention  had  run  dry,  and  those  that 
came  after  only  repeated  the  words  the  masters 
had  spoken.     And  they  made  a  selection  of  these 


126     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Oallettes 

pictorial  utterances.  No  longer  were  they  inspired 
by  personal  artistic  feeling,  they  felt  more  the  draw- 
ing of  popular  taste.  They  did  no  longer  form 
that  taste  as  the  great  men  had  done.  They  were 
satisfied  to  take  popular  taste  as  they  found  it, 
and  gratify  it  and  pamper  it.  So  they  selected 
those  qualities  which  had  most  appealed  to  the 
public  —  beauty  first,  and  sentiment  next.  But 
beauty  at  second-hand  soon  becomes  faded  and 
stale,  and  sentiment,  poured  over,  runs  to  senti- 
mentality. These  then  became  the  characteristics 
of  painting  towards  the  end  of  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury, and  ruled  throughout  the  next.  The  aim  was 
universal  imitation,  instead  of  purity  of  form  and 
power  of  personal  expression.  Grandeur  of  effect 
became  the  ideal  —  and  so  far  it  spelled  decay  in 
art. 

One  powerful  factor  moulded  the  art  of  the 
Seicento  in  a  measure.  After  the  Reformation 
in  the  north  occurred  the  Spanish-Catholic  counter- 
Reformation,  and  in  the  renewed  Catholicism 
which  followed  the  severe  attacks  and  violent  strug- 
gles of  Protestantism  the  Church  fostered  a  new 
religious  enthusiasm.  It  did  not  strive  for  the 
development  of  personal  spiritual  life,  but  to  assert 
more  fully  the  supremacy  of  the  Church.  New 
saints,  new  miracles,  festal-days,  sacred  Orders 
were    created,    the    pomp    and    splendours   of   the 


XEbe  ftaltan  ipatnttn^s  127 

Service  were  increased,  churches  were  more  gor- 
geously adorned,  and  artists  were  urged  to  use 
their  best  efforts  in  art  —  but  not  art  for  art's 
sake,  but  for  the  cause  of  the  Church;  to  portray 
its  glories,  the  martyrdom  of  its  saints,  the 
beatification  of  its  dignitaries.  Thus  we  find  in 
the  religious  art  of  the  seventeenth  century  in  Italy 
a  total  absence  of  mysticism  and  symbolism,  but 
a  theatrical-dramatic  effect.  Only  such  scenes  were 
portrayed  as  would  arouse  the  feelings  of  adora- 
tion, and  instead  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament 
narrative,  or  the  Madonna  and  Child,  we  get  the 
Mater  Dolorosa  and  the  Ecce  Homo,  the  tears  and 
the  crown  of  thorns. 

All  this  sums  up  the  character  of  the  Bolognese 
school  of  that  period.  It  has  been  called  the  school 
of  the  Eclectics.  Its  members  started  out  to  "  re- 
vive "  art,  but  by  the  strange  process  of  selecting 
various  characteristics  which  they  considered  to 
have  been  the  best  in  different  men;  as  Annibale 
Carracci  himself  expressed  it,  by  combining  Michel- 
angelo's line,  Titian's  colour,  Correggio's  light  and 
shade,  and  Raphael's  symmetry  and  grace.  The 
concoction,  devoid  of  the  genius  of  the  men  behind 
these  characteristics,  produced  an  olla  podrida, 
which  appeared  to  be  very  delectable  at  first,  and 
was  even  considered  high  art  up  to  within  a  half 
century  ago,  but  is  now  regarded  with  little  interest. 


128     Zbc  Brt  ot  tbe  Berlin  (Ballettes 

Since  the  true  value  of  the  art  of  Italy  of  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  was  recog- 
nized when  the  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum  collection 
was  being  developed,  no  special  steps  were  taken 
to  increase  greatly  what  was  on  hand  of  this  period. 
A  number  of  works  in  Gallery  47  amply  show  its 
tendency  and  the  extent  of  its  efficiency;  nor  does 
the  absence  of  works  by  Carlo  Dolci  and  some 
others  mean  a  regrettable  loss  to  our  enjoyment. 

The  leader  of  this  Eclectic  school  was  Annibale 
Carracci  (1560-1609),  whose  influence  spread 
widely  over  Italy.  His  "Crucifixion"  (364)  bears 
close  relations  to  Correggio's  work.  His  "  Moun- 
tainous Landscape  "  (372)  bears,  however,  evidence 
of  some  original  conception.  Few  Italians  ap- 
preciated out-of-doors  nature,  except  as  a  setting, 
but  Carracci  loved  it  and  even  inspired  his  por- 
trayal of  it  with  an  heroic  feeling  that  was  followed 
later  by  Domenichino  and  Poussin.  A  proud 
stronghold  rears  its  battlements  in  the  centre  of 
the  picture.  The  big  arches  of  a  bridge  span  a 
broad,  rapidly  flowing  stream,  leading  the  road 
towards  a  clump  of  trees  in  autumnal  hues,  all 
forming  a  striking  contrast  against  the  deep  blue 
sky.  There  is  an  attempt  even  to  paint  the  soft 
veil  of  atmosphere,  which  shows  deep  feeling  for 
nature's  life. 

His    brother,    Agostino    Carracci    (1557-1602), 


Ube  Utaltan  iPatntings  129 

has  a  portrait  here  of  the  Marchesa  Guicciardini, 
which  is  a  noble  presentation  of  the  elderly  lady, 
dressed  in  grey.  It  is  a  true  and  simply  conceived 
human  document,  of  straightforward  execution, 
which  does  not  yet  .savour  of  the  Academic  receipt 
of  the  later  Bolognese  school. 

The  best-known  of  the  Carracci  pupils  was 
Domenichino  Zampieri  (1581-1641),  but  his  style 
is  timid,  his  apparently  forceful  and  learned  com- 
position imitated,  and  his  colour  weak  and  muddy. 
Two  pictures  of  St.  Jerome  (362,  376)  show  an 
unsatisfactory  treatment  of  the  nude.  Far  better 
is  his  portrait  of  the  builder  Scamozzi- (375). 

The  facile  potboiler  and  gambler  Guido  Reni 
(1575-1642)  painted  in  his  early  years  a  few  pic- 
tures which  show  more  strength  of  character  than 
he  possessed  later.  His  large  altarpiece,  "  The 
Hermits  Paul  and  Anthony  in  the  Desert'*  (373), 
although  by  no  means  of  excessive  merit,  still  shows 
serious  purpose.  The  story  concerns  the  legend 
of  St.  Anthony  who  after  seventy-five  years  of 
penance  considered  himself  the  oldest  hermit,  when 
by  divine  direction  he  visited  St.  Paul  who  for 
ninety  years  had  been  living  in  a  cave,  and  whom 
he  now  acknowledged  as  his  master.  The  raven 
who  daily  brought  to  Paul  half  a  loaf  now  comes 
with  a  whole  loaf  to  welcome  the  guest.  Anthony 
wears  the  robe  of  his  cloister-order,  while  Paul's 


I30      Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

nakedness  is  loosely  covered  by  a  voluminous 
yellow  mantle.  Floating  just  above  their  heads, 
on  a  heavy  cloud,  is  the  Madonna  holding  the 
Child,  surrounded  by  playing  putti.  The  whole  is 
vigorously  worked  with  strong  light  and  shade. 

But  as  soon  as  Guido  had  felt  the  pulse  of  his 
public  he  poured  out  the  stream  of  figures  "  fed 
on  roses,"  which  were  for  long  so  immensely 
popular,  but  to  us  seem  mawkish.  His  "  Mater 
Dolorosa"  (363)  is  a  typical  product  of  his 
facility. 

Francesco  Albani  (1578-1660)  even  surpassed 
Guido  in  elegance  and  porcelainlike  prettiness.  The 
"  Appearance  of  Christ  to  Mary  Magdalene " 
(1618)  he  repeated  over  and  over  again,  in  a  soft 
and  harmonious  manner. 

Carlo  Maratta  (1625-1713)  was  equally  meretri- 
cious. His  Portrait  of  a  young  man  (426A),  with 
long,  curly  brown  hair,  and  magnificent  lace  collar 
lying  on  his  black  dress,  was  evidently  painted 
to  please  his  sitter. 

While  these  Eclectics  were  holding  sway  at 
Bologna,  there  arose  in  the  South,  in  Naples,  a 
man  who  opposed  their  academic  doctrines  and 
preached  a  return  to  nature.  Caravaggio  was  the 
leader  of  this  movement  which  ended,  however,  in 
adopting  the  eclectic  principles,  although  in  return 
influencing  'the  Bolognese  to  forego  somewhat  the 


TLbc  irtalian  ipatnttnas  131 

worship  of  the  old  masters  and  accept  the  teach- 
ings of  nature. 

Michelangelo  Amerighi,  called  Caravaggio  (1569- 
1609)  is  difficult  to  class  in  any  particular  school 
because  of  his  originahty.  There  is  a  union  in  his 
work  of  great  qualities  and  glaring  defects.  His 
heads  are  all  ignoble,  and  his  realism  becomes  fre- 
quently repulsive.  His  Christ  is  reminiscent  of 
the  tradition  of  St.  Cyril,  who  proclaimed  that 
Christ  was  the  least  beautiful  among  the  sons  of 
men.  His  colours  become  raw  and  heavy,  fiery 
red  becomes  reddish  brown,  cold  blue  is  important 
on  his  palette,  yellow  and  brown  are  prominent. 
He  is  shown  here  by  four  large  paintings  and  two 
portraits  (354,  356).  His  "St.  Matthew"  (365) 
is  a  gigantic  figure,  sitting  with  bare  legs  in  a 
Florentine  chair,  writing  in  a  book  with  the  fist 
of  a  blacksmith,  while  an  angel  at  his  side  does 
not  whisper  to  him  the  sacred  inscription,  but  takes 
hold  and  guides  his  hand.  The  light  falling  from 
above  makes  the  figures  come  out  plastically  against 
the  black  background;  but  the  apostle  looks  so 
muscular,  almost  ferocious,  that  it  is  no  wonder  that 
the  monks  took  offence  at  such  gross,  vulgar  real- 
ism, and  would  not  have  it  for  the  altar  of  their 
church  San  Luigi  di  Francesi. 

He  is  still  more  in  his  element  when  he  depicts 
the  wild  wailing  of  woe.     His  "  Burial  of  Christ " 


132      Ube  Htt  ot  tbe  JSerltn  Galleries 

(353)  is  almost  brutal  in  conception,  although  its 
earnestness  and  sincerity  may  not  be  denied. 

These  are,  however,  works  of  his  later  period. 
In  his  early  years  he  painted  in  quite  a  Venetian 
manner  with  a  golden  tone,  and  sometimes  allegori- 
cal works  of  poetic  feeling.  But  there  was  no  re- 
spect for  the  tales  of  antiquity,  and  the  gods  and 
heroes  are  brought  down  to  very  commonplace, 
often  comic  situations,  and  their  mythological 
standing  is  irreverently  burlesqued.  In  his  "  Amour 
Victor"  (369)  he  pictures  the  saucy  love-god 
threading  down  with  amazing  unconcern  all  the 
attributes  of  art  and  sciences,  power  and  knowl- 
edge, claiming  his  cupid-arts  to  be  supreme  over 
them  all.  But  in  the  pendant  (381)  we  see  him 
slain  by  a  black-harnessed  knight  with  eagle  wings 
—  the  meaning  and  moral  of  which  is  dubious. 

Salvator  Rosa  (1615-1673)  brought  all  these 
characteristics  of  realism  and  sharp  contrasts  of 
light  and  shade  to  bear  upon  the  landscapes  and 
seapieces  which  he  painted.  In  a  "  Stormy  Sea  " 
(421)  we  recognize  a  man  of  energetic  conception 
and  broad  treatment.  In  the  "  Mountain  Land- 
scape "  (421B)  the  dark  cliffs  of  the  Abruzzi  loom 
up  bold  and  threateningly. 

Luca  Giordano  (1632-1705)  was  the  most  com- 
plete and  celebrated  of  the  Neapolitan  painters,  and 
the   last  of   the   century.      In  his   "Judgment   of 


Zbc  irtaltan  ipainttngs  133 

Paris"  (441)  he  shows  fresh,  transparent  colour, 
with  a  lighting  effect  in  Tintoretto's  style.  Paris 
is  seated  to  the  left  on  a  rock,  holding  the  apple 
and  surrounded  by  his  flock.  Juno  is  bending  over 
to  loosen  her  sandals,  Minerva  disrobes  reluctantly, 
while  Venus,  at  the  right,  looks  triumphantly 
towards  Paris,  at  whose  heart  a  little  cupid  float- 
ing over  Venus  is  aiming  an  arrow.  Mercury  is 
slinking  behind  a  tree.  As  interesting,  although 
the  composition  is  somewhat  forced,  is  his  "  Prophet 
Balaam  and  his  Ass"  (404B). 

Giordano,  the  pupil  of  Ribera  in  Naples,  was 
the  man  who  went  to  Spain  and  introduced 
there  Naturalistic  doctrines  as  carried  out  by  his 
master.  We  must  also  observe  a  "  Caritas  "  (358) 
which  hangs  here,  by  a  much  earlier  man,  Luca 
Cambiaso  (1527-1585),  who  also  had  gone  to 
Spain,  where  his  work  inspired  the  few  sixteenth 
century  Spanish  artists. 

The  abortive  revival  of  art  by  the  Eclectics  and 
Naturalists  had  run  its  course  with  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  and  art  was  still  further 
emaciated  by  imitation,  mannerisms  and  excesses. 
Then  a  last  flickering  of  the  flame  was  seen  in 
Venice  during  the  eighteenth  century.  Tiepolo, 
who  was  great  beyond  his  age,  and  a  few  archi- 
tectural painters  showed  works  that  are  worthy  of 
praise  and  admiration. 


134      XTbe  Htt  ot  tbe  JBerlin  Gallettes 

Giovanni  Panini  (1692-1768),  most  famous  as 
an  etcher,  laboured  at  Rome,  and  produced  some 
characteristic  views  of  that  city  as  it  was  in  his 
day,  and  as  he  imagined  it  to  have  been  in  olden 
times.  His  "  View  of  antique  Roman  Ruins " 
(454A)  is  striking  and  romantic.  Another  late 
Roman  painter  was  Pompeo  Batoni  (1708-1787), 
whose  cold,  classical  "  Betrothal  of  Amour  and 
Psyche"   (504)   is  scarcely  interesting. 

In  Venice  Bernardo  Belotto,  called  Canaletto 
(1697-1768),  was  inspired  by  the  beauty  of  the 
city  of  the  lagunes,  and  he  pictured  its  canals, 
churches  and  palaces  with  wonderful,  deep  colour 
and  brilliancy.  At  twenty-five  years  of  age  he  went 
travelling  and  visited  Munich,  Dresden,  Vienna  and 
Warsaw,  where  with  remarkable  rapidity,  which 
does  not,  however,  show  in  the  work,  he  painted 
numerous  scenes  of  local  interest.  The  two  can- 
vases here  (503B,  503C)  are  graphic  descriptions 
of  the  marketplace  of  Pirna,  a  German  city,  in 
which  this  Italian  has  caught  the  local  flavour  to 
perfection. 

His  contemporary,  Francesco  Guardi  (1703- 
1794),  had  a  freer  brush,  and  the  apparent  sketchi- 
ness  of  his  work  gives  a  quite  modern  impression, 
to  which  the  tonality  of  his  city  views  contributes 
greatly.  His  "  Balloon  Ascension  over  the  Canal 
of  the  Giudecca,  Venice,  in  1784"   (501E)   is  of 


Ube  Utallan  paintings  135 

most  interest  for  the  fine  view  of  the  buildings 
of  the  Queen  City.  Better  yet  is  his  "  Canal  View  " 
(501F)  with  its  mirroring  water  filled  with  boats, 
and  the  fine  line  of  buildings  running  from  the 
right  towards  the  far  distance. 

Giovanni  Battista  Tiepolo  (1696-1770)  was  the 
last  fruit-bearing  shoot  of  the  withered  tree  of 
Venetian  art.  His  work  bears  no  vestige  of 
decadence,  it  is  as  brilliant,  as  eminent,  as  knowing, 
as  any  of  the  work  of  the  High  Renaissance  of 
two  centuries  before.  It  is  a  resonant  echo  of 
the  masterful  creations  of  Paolo  Veronese,  their 
beauty  of  architectural  framework,  the  correctness, 
charm  and  vivacity  of  their  drawing,  all  molten 
in  the  purple  and  gold  of  Tintoretto  —  this  is  the 
work  of  Tiepolo.  He  was  incontestably  the  only 
master  of  the  decadence  whose  primordial  qualities 
of  artistry  seem  to  awaken  strings  that  yield 
wild,  broken  music  —  the  swan-song  of  Italian 
art. 

Tiepolo*s  "  St.  Dominic  dividing  the  Rose-gar- 
land "  (459A)  is  the  design  for  a  ceiling  painting 
which  is  in  the  church  Dei  Gesuati,  at  Venice.  It 
is  an  example  of  the  astounding  talent  for  com- 
position which  characterized  the  master.  This 
power  of  decorative  creation  is  amplified  in  the 
little  Cabinet  48,  called  the  Tiepolo  Room,  where 
twenty-two  panels  present  allegorical-mythological 


136      Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

compositions,  painted  en  grisaille  on  gold-yellow 
ground.  They  furnished  the  decoration  for  a  room 
in  a  villa  near  Treviso,  and,  although  in  fresco, 
have  been  transferred  and  exposed  in  exactly  the 
manner  in  which  they  were  originally  seen. 

The  view  of  a  "  Lady  leaving  her  Bath  "  (454) 
breathes  the  same  fresh  freedom  as  found  in  the 
most  delightful  tales  of  Boccaccio.  The  buxom, 
full-blooded  ladies  of  the  former  Venetian  period 
have  here,  however,  become  the  slender,  high-bred, 
elegant  type  of  the  later  divinities.  And  the  festive 
reception  of  King  Henry  III  of  France  (459) 
in  the  forehall  of  a  palace,  where  the  magnificent 
columns  are  decorated  with  vines  and  flowers,  in- 
troduces us  once  more  into  a  scene  of  pomp  and 
splendour  such  as  we  see  in  Veronese's  "  Marriage 
at  Cana,"  in  the  Louvre. 

But  most  characteristic  of  the  high  ideals,  as  well 
as  of  the  power  of  execution,  of  Tiepolo  is  his 
"Martyrdom  of  St.  Agatha''  (459B).  According 
to  the  legend  Agatha  was  the  daughter  of  a  prom- 
inent Ancient  of  Palermo.  In  her  early  years  she 
embraced  Christianity,  and  refused  the  advances 
of  the  Stadholder  Quintianus.  Taken  to  a  house  of 
ill- fame  she  resisted  all  the  blandishments  of 
temptation,  whereupon  the  Stadholder  ordered  his 
menials  to  tear  out  her  breasts  with  iron  tongues. 
This   would    have   been    subject    for   a   gruesome 


Ube  irtalian  paintings  137 

spectacle  by  a  Neapolitan  naturalist.  Even  Sebas- 
tiano  del  Piombo,  in  a  painting  now  in  the  Pitti 
Palace  in  Florence,  pictures  it  with  harrowing  de- 
tail. Tiepolo  depicts  the  scene  more  tenderly.  A 
large  Corinthian  column  rises  on  the  left,  a  few 
paces  therefrom  stands  a  gigantic  barbarian,  an 
heroic  type  of  the  Visigoth,  with  bearskin  over  his 
head  and  around  his  loins.  Just  in  front  and  be- 
tween is  the  maiden,  of  lovely  if  painful  features, 
sinking  back  into  the  right  arm  of  a  serving  maid 
who  with  her  free  left  arm  holds  a  large  linen 
sheet  before  the  bleeding  bosom,  covering  the  lower 
part  of  the  martyr's  body.  Her  breasts  are  carried 
away  on  a  plate  by  a  page  who  averts  his  face. 
Agatha  sighs :  "  Hast  thou  not  lain  at  a  woman's 
breast,  and  didst  thou  not  receive  thy  first  nourish- 
ment therefrom?"  Her  nude  arms  and  neck,  and 
the  arms  and  legs  of  the  henchman  add  that  note 
of  life  and  beauty  which  the  introduction  of  the 
nude  always  produces.  The  drawing  is  so  im- 
pressively skilful  and  true,  and  the  chiaroscuro 
plays  so  masterfully  through  its  chromatic  wealth 
that  this  composition  ranks  among  the  highest  in 
the  true  conception  of  art.  Originally  a  lunette 
extended  above  the  square  top,  in  which  angels 
floated  around  a  heart  with  a  crown  of  thorns, 
on  which  the  martyr's  breaking  eyes  were  bent. 
Thus    we   have    completed    our   review    of    the 


138     XTbe  art  ot  tbe  IBerlin  Galleries 

Italian  paintings  in  the  Museum,  which  with  all  the 
many  lapses  and  vacancies  still  enables  us  to  study 
the  growth,  glory  and  decay  of  the  schools  of 
painting  in  Italy. 


CHAPTER   III 

THE    SPANISH    PAINTINGS 

The  origin  of  the  Spanish  school  of  painting 
can  be  definitely  traced  to  Italy.  The  statement 
made  in  most  art  histories  that  Spain  being  in  close 
relations  with  the  Netherlands  the  Spanish  artists 
were  first  taught  by  the  Flemish  is  an  error.  This 
relation  was  purely  a  monarchical  one.  But  a  close 
and  intimate  relation  did  exist  with  Italy,  where 
Spain  even  gained  a  foothold  in  Naples;  and  all 
through  the  history  of  the  Spanish  school  we  find 
it  allied,  by  inspiration  or  imitation,  with  Italian 
art.  The  visits  of  Flemish  painters,  of  Peter  de 
Kempeneer,  called  in  Spain  Pedro  Campana,  of 
Antonis  Mor,  who  received  high  royal  favour,  and 
even  of  Rubens,  had  little  influence  on  the  Spanish 
school.  On  the  contrary  we  can  trace  quite  defi- 
nitely the  origin  of  Spanish  painting  to  the  Italian 
artists  who  had  come  to  Avignon,  to  the  court 
of  the  exiled  Pope,  and  who  established  a  connec- 
tion with  Barcelona.  Also  the  influence  of  the 
Genoese  Luca  Cambiaso,  by  whom  we  saw  a  paint- 

139 


140     Zbc  Htt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  GallerleB 

ing  in  Gallery  47,  an  imitator  of  Correggio,  who 
settled  in  Spain,  of  El  Greco,  and  especially  of 
Ribera  through  his  pupil  Giordano,  counted  for 
much.  Most  of  the  Spanish  artists  visited  Italy  — 
there  is  no  record  of  anyone  having  studied  in 
Flanders  —  where  they  v^ere  especially  attracted  by 
the  men  who  worked  with  sharp  contrasts  of  col- 
ours and  of  light  and  shade,  notably  by  Cara- 
vaggio. 

As  everywhere  else  the  racial  character  of  the 
people  stamped  itself  on  its  art,  and  the  Spanish 
school  of  painting  may  be  stigmatized  as  religious 
—  as  were  the  people  —  and  more  particularly 
Church-religious.  It  has  nothing  to  do  with  per- 
sonal spiritual  life,  little  with  biblical  thought,  al- 
most exclusively  with  the  ascetic  teaching  of  a 
Church  which  was  the  bulwark  of  the  Inquisition. 
Worldly  or  mythological  compositions  do  not  ap- 
pear; even  landscape  painting,  wherein  the  Inquisi- 
tion, perhaps,  saw  a  liberal,  pantheistic  tendency,  is 
little  used.  Of  course  such  a  feudal  state,  with 
Grandees  and  Church  Princes,  brought  forward 
portraiture  of  the  highest  order,  but  not  until  the 
time  of  Velasquez  is  the  secular  subject  chosen  to 
any  extent.  Only  one  man,  Becerra,  in  the  fif- 
teenth century,  chose  mythological  themes  and 
painted  the  nude  —  but  he  died  in  the  torture 
chamber. 


Ube  SpaniBb  paintings'  141 

The  Spanish  paintings  are  found  in  Gallery  49. 
They  give  us  examples  of  some  of  the  leading 
men  of  the  school. 

The  earliest  example  is  by  Luis  de  Morales  (died 
1586),  whose  "Madonna  and  Child"  (412)  at 
once  gives  us  a  different  type  of  face  from  any  we 
have  thus  far  seen  —  lean,  haggard,  and  in  the 
eyes  a  weird,  somnambulistic  look,  which  even  the 
Child  shares. 

The  most  prominent  man  of  the  middle  of  the 
century  was  Aloriso  Sanchez  Coello  (1515-1590), 
called  the  Portuguese  Titian,  who  at  the  court  of 
Philip  II  painted  portraits  and  altarpieces.  In  his 
pale,  light,  delicate  brushing  he  reminds  of  the 
early  French  portrait  painter  Francois  Clouet.  His 
portrait  here  of  Philip  II  (406B),  in  rich  armour, 
in  his  right  holding  the  marshal's  baton,  is  in 
every  way  typical  of  the  style  of  work  that  was 
done  at  the  time. 

It  is  surprising  that  while  Philip  II  of  Spain  was 
the  great  peace-destroyer  of  Europe,  the  tyrannical 
despot,  the  inspired  tool  of  the  most  horrible  Inqui- 
sition, he  was  also  one  of  the  sincerest  friends  of 
art  ever  known.  Owing  to  his  patronage  it  must 
be  surmised  that  a  number  of  men  bearing  to  the 
full  the  stigmata  of  the  school,  still  excelled  in 
artistic  workmanship. 

Although  Juseppe  Ribera    (1588-1656),   named 


142     TLbc  art  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

Lo  Spagnoletto,  left  Valencia  at  an  early  age  and 
lived  and  died  in  Italy,  his  influence  on  Spanish 
art  can  scarcely  be  sufficiently  estimated.  The  char- 
acteristic deep  colour  and  low  tones  of  the  Spanish 
school  became  more  luminous  and  brilliant,  and 
its  figure  painting,  if  anything,  more  realistic. 
Ribera  himself  was  fascinated  with  the  style  of 
Caravaggio  and  his  violent  illumination,  and  while 
following  the  Italian's  intense  realism  he  betrays  a 
sort  of  instinctive  ferocity.  He  had  an  astonishing 
knowledge  of  anatomy,  a  rough,  adventurous  fan- 
tasy, shown  as  well  in  his  many  bust  pieces  of 
anchorites,  prophets  and  philosophers,  as  in  his 
large  compositions.  In  his  martyrdoms  he  displays 
all  the  weird,  abnormal  torturer's  passion  of  a 
Spanish  Inquisitor.  At  the  same  time  he  knew 
how  to  give  the  nude  an  unusual  lifelike  construc- 
tion and  appearance. 

In  the  "  St.  Sebastian  "  (405B),  where  the  saint 
hangs  from  his  wrists,  bound  high  to  two  trees, 
and  has  sunk  on  his  knees  pierced  by  an  arrow, 
Ribera  has  kept  within  the  bounds  of  beauty.  The 
sharply  lit,  nude  body,  of  fine  modelling,  has  a 
very  plastic  appearance  against  a  night  background 
where  the  moon  but  faintly  shines  through  the 
clouds. 

The  "St.  Jerome"  (403),  although  attributed 
to  Ribera,  is  possibly  an  early  work  of  his  pupil 


Zbc  Spantsb  ipaintings  143 

Giordano,  in  imitation  of  his  master's  manner.  The 
hermit,  pale  and  emaciated,  the  upper  part  of  the 
body  bare,  is  looking  in  ecstasy  upward  as  he  holds 
a  large  folio  in  his  hands.  The  withered  face,  fur- 
rowed by  years  of  self-torture,  the  straggling  grey 
hair  and  long  beard,  the  prominent  veins  and 
muscles  furnish  a  type  of  what  might  be  called 
the  most  popular  picture  in  Spanish  art.  An  old 
copy  of  Ribera's  "  Martyrdom  of  St.  Bartholo- 
mew "  (416),  the  original  of  which  is  in  the  Prado, 
is  a  gruesome  portrayal  of  agonizing  torture,  the 
repulsiveness  of  which  is  heightened  by  the  low 
types  of  the  faces  shown,  even  the  saint's  features 
resembling  those  of  a  galley-slave. 

The  greatest  name  in  Spanish  art  is  that  of 
Velasquez  (1599-1660).  Although  he  was  in  Italy 
for  quite  a  long  time  he  is  the  only  Spaniard  who 
may  with  justice  be  called  to  have  been  thoroughly 
original  and  individual.  He  was  a  pupil  of  Herrera 
and  Pacheco,  and  learned  much  from  Ribera  and 
Tristan,  but  always  was  and  remained  himself.  He 
was  a  portrait  painter,  pure  and  simple.  Only  four 
religious  compositions  and  a  half  score  of  secular 
subjects  are  known  to  exist  from  his  brush.  But 
his  portraits  are  the  most  marvellous  creations  of 
their  kind  —  only  rivalled  by  those  of  Frans  Hals 
and  Titian,  surpassed  by  none.  When  we  gaze 
upon  one  of  his  portraits  we  see  a  human  being, 


144     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSetlin  Galleries 

alive,  breathing,  real,  with  striking  relief  and  per- 
fect solidity;  the  wonderful  envelopment  of  air 
with  which  he- surrounds  it  gives  a  peculiar  inten- 
sity of  illusion. 

Velasquez  can  only  be  appreciated  to  his  fullest 
value  in  the  Prado,  in  Madrid.  Still  the  Kaiser 
Friedrich  Museum  possesses  two  masterpieces 
which  give  us  a  true  conception  of  his  power.  The 
best  is  a  "Female  Portrait"  (413E.  Plate  X),  a 
knee-piece,  where  a  grand  dame  —  Juana  de 
Miranda,  according  to  an  inscription  on  the  back 
of  the  canvas  —  in  rich  brocade  stomacher  and  very 
wide  sleeves,  stands  behind  a  chair,  on  the  back 
of  which  she  rests  her  right  hand.  Her  high 
coiffure  tops  her  somewhat  square  face,  with  its 
piercing  eyes  and  finely  chiselled  mouth.  That 
Spain  is  the  land  of  beautiful  women,  as  Prosper 
Merimee  in  his  romance  Carmen  would  have  us 
believe,  is  little  to  be  noticed  in  the  paintings  of 
the  early  Spanish  artists.  The  women  which  they 
picture  have  too  much  manliness  and  hardness, 
often  a  proud  and  arrogant  expression,  while  the 
utterly  tasteless  costumes  of  the  time  preclude  the 
possibility  of  indicating  any  line  or  form  that  is 
pleasing. 

Another  portrait  of  a  homely  woman  presents 
"Maria  Anna,  Sister  of  Philip  IV"  (413C),  the 
wife  of  the  King  of  Hungary,  and  later  of  the 


VELASQUEZ 


FEMALE  PORTRAIT 
Plate  X 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Zbc  Spantsb  ipatnttngs  145 

Emperor  Ferdinand  III.  It  is  of  the  master's  best 
period,  and  an  exquisite  example  of  his  technical 
supremacy. 

A  pompous  looking  general,  Alessandro  del 
Borro,  looks  at  us  with  a  haughty  superciliousness 
from  a  life-size,  full-length  portrait  (413A).  This 
used  to  be  ascribed  to  Velasquez,  and  it  has  truly 
the  appearance  of  some  of  the  artist's  portraits  of 
warriors  which  are  found  in  Madrid,  but  the  origin 
of  the  painting  must  with  greater  credibility  be 
sought  in  Italy  of  the  seventeenth  century.  An  old 
copy  of  the  Prado  painting  of  the  Court- fool,  Don 
Antonio  the  Englishman,  with  his  large  hound,  is 
also  found  here  (41 3D). 

Velasquez  was  too  great  to  have  followers,  nor 
were  the  Spanish  painters  after  him  intrinsically 
able  to  comprehend  the  cool  refinement  and  supreme 
dignity  with  which  he  endows  his  models.  His 
dignity,  with  them,  becomes  arrogance,  and  his  re- 
finement and  delicacy  is  smothered  as  it  were  by  the 
hot  glowing  of  gipsy  blood. 

Juan  Carrefio  de  Miranda  (1614-1685)  was  in- 
fluenced by  Velasquez,  and  for  a  time  his  assistant. 
But  his  is  a  weak  reflection  of  his  master's  manner. 
His  "Portrait  of  King  Charles  11"  (407),  the 
last  of  the  Habsburgs,  makes  this  anemic  boy  of 
twelve  look  like  an  old  man.  The  sickly  features 
of  the  face,  the  general  lassitude  of  the  body,  are 


146     Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

an  irony  on  the  magnificent  garniture  of  the  royal 
chamber  where  he  is  posed. 

Miranda's  pupil,  Mateo  Cerezo  (1635-1675), 
was  an  imitator  of  van  Dyck's  Italian  manner,  but 
his  "Crucifixion"  (408B),  besides  the  weak,  al- 
most sentimental  look  of  the  crucified  one,  can- 
not omit  the  Spanish  characteristic  of  heavy, 
black  clouds  through  which  breaks  a  lurid  even- 
glow. 

Zurbaran  (1598-1662),  of  Seville,  painted  monks 
and  Madonnas  with  clearness  and  dramatic  force. 
One  of  his  earliest  masterpieces  is  one  of  a  series 
of  four  paintings,  illustrating  scenes  from  the  life  of 
St.  Bonaventura,  whereof  two  are  at  present  in  the 
Louvre  and  one  in  Dresden.  In  the  scene  before  us 
(404A),  St.  Bonaventura  points  to  the  crucifix 
as  the  source  of  all  knowledge,  when  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas,  accompanied  by  several  monks,  visits  him 
in  his  study.  The  mystic  Bonaventura  was  pro- 
fessor of  theology  at  the  University  of  Paris,  and 
the  great  scholastic  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  having 
heard  of  the  astounding  learning  and  the  power  of 
logic  of  the  Franciscan  professor,  expressed  a  de- 
sire to  see  his  library  so  that  he  too  might  procure 
the  works  that  Bonaventura  studied.  But  when 
he  entered  the  cell,  the  modest  priest  drew  aside 
a  curtain  which  hung  over  his  study-table  and  re- 
vealed an  ivory  crucifix  suspended  on  the  wall.   The 


Ube  Span(5b  ipaintinaa  147 

drawing  and  subdued  colour  of  the  painting  is  very 
attractive,  and  the  details  of  a  seventeenth  century 
interior  —  which  is  anachronistic  to  the  time  when 
the  incident  occurred  —  are  very  precise  and  en- 
lightening. 

Murillo  (1618-1682)  was  the  principal  artist  of 
the  South.  He  was  of  course  a  church-painter, 
not  of  the  bloody  catastrophes  of  the  legends  of 
the  saints  and  martyrs,  but  of  the  bright,  mystical 
vision  of  the  heavenly  communion.  His  most  fa- 
mous painting  is  the  high-altar  in  the  Dom  of 
Seville,  where  the  Christ-child  appears  before  the 
eyes  of  St.  Anthony  of  Padua,  a  contemporary  of 
St.  Francis  of  Assisi.  In  Berlin  we  find  another 
painting  of  this  incident  (414).  The  young  monk, 
interrupted  in  the  study  of  the  book  of  saints,  has 
raised  himself  from  his  prone  position,  and  still 
on  his  knees  embraces  the  Child,  covering  its  face 
with  kisses.  A  putto  is  curiously  leaving  through 
St.  Anthony's  book,  another  holds  up  triumphantly 
the  saint's  lily,  his  symbol  of  purity,  and  others 
are  floating  around  in  the  air.  There  is  a  peculiar 
look  upon  St.  Anthony's  face,  one  which  is  fre- 
quently found  in  Spanish  religious  paintings,  a  look 
combining  devout  ecstasy  with  a  very  earthly,  sen- 
suous, even  erotic  passion.  The  painting-quality 
of  the  work  is  exceedingly  delicate,  the  head  of 
Anthony  has  a  fine,   cool   colour,   and   the  Child, 


148     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

light  and  soft,  with  a  bright,  rosy  hue  in  the  car- 
nation tints  comes  out  beautifully  against  the  dark 
golden  background.  Murillo  has  really  transposed 
to  St.  Anthony  a  legend  which  belongs  to  St. 
Francis  of  Greggio,  and  which  Giotto  had  already 
painted  in  fresco  on  the  wall  of  the  Franciscan 
Church  of  Assisi. 

Alonso  Cano  (1601-1667)  was  a  sculptor,  painter 
and  architect,  a  man  of  fine  talent,  and  less  dismal 
than  most  of  his  compeers.  His  life-size  painting 
of  "St.  Agnes"  (414B.  Plate  XI)  is  a  beautiful 
and  attractive  work,  which  well  represents  the 
gentler  emotions  which  sometimes  inspired  Spanish 
art.  St.  Agnes,  the  patron-saint  of  purity,  stands 
at  a  table  on  which  a  lamb  is  lying,  over  which  she 
holds  the  martyr's  palm.  The  legend  tells  that 
she  was  martyred  and  beheaded  under  Diocletian 
because  she  refused  all  suitors,  claiming  to  be  the 
bride  of  the  Lamb.  Cano's  painting  gives  us  one 
of  the  few  beautiful  female  types,  a  young  Anda- 
lusian,  whose  large  brown  eyes  have  a  penetrating 
look,  staring  as  if  seeing  in  one  glance  the  miracle 
of  suffering  martyrdom  and  crowning  glory. 

Henrique  de  las  Marinas  (1620-1680)  was  born 
in  Cadiz,  and  the  surroundings  in  that  lively  sea- 
port led  him  to  paint  the  scenes  of  animation  along 
its  docks.  A  "  Freighter  in  the  Harbour  "  (418)  is 
characteristic  of  his  brush  which  never  omitted  to 


ALONSO 

cAno 


ST.  AGNES 
Plate  XI 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ubc  Spanisb  patntiuQS  149 

add  in  his  seapieces  the  lurid  glow  of  the  native 
palette. 

At  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  Spain, 
with  the  overthrow  of  the  Habsburgs  and  the  ascen- 
sion of  the  Bourbons,  lost  its  political  significance. 
Even  its  racial  life  seemed  dormant,  for  in  litera- 
ture there  were  no  successors  to  Cervantes,  Lopez 
de  Vega,  Calderon;  and  its  art  likewise  was 
sterile.  Only  towards  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century  one  man  stands  out  who  kept  alive  the 
traditions  of  the  past,  notably  of  Ribera,  and  added 
thereto  a  modernity  which  has  made  him  called 
the  forerunner  of  Manet. 

This  man  was  Francisco  Goya  (1746-1828),  who 
painted  the  Spain  of  Charles  III  and  Ferdinand 
VII  as  truthfully  as  Velasquez  the  epoch  of  Philip 
IV.  In  his  painting  he  was  a  thorough  Spaniard, 
fond  of  the  brutal  and  the  bloody,  often  caricatur- 
ing with  refined  sarcasm  the  manners  and  morals 
of  his  time.  But  always  a  strong,  powerful  artist, 
with  the  forced  contrasts  that  harked  back  to 
Ribera. 

In  the  two  bust-portraits  in  the  Museum  these 
characteristics  do  not  assert  themselves.  They  are 
rather  in  that  atmospheric  way  of  painting  which 
makes  Goya  the  connecting  link  between  Velasquez 
and  Manet.  The  "  Portrait  of  an  Elderly  Lady  " 
(1619A),  supposed  to  be  the  artist's  mother,  shows 


ISO      Ube  art  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Gallettes 

a  fine  presentment  of  old  age,  but  the  "  Portrait 
of  a  Monk"  (1619B)  is  notably  excellent.  The 
broad  spaces,  the  peculiar  colour  combination  of 
red,  greyish  blue  and  brown-grey,  and  the  envelope 
of  air  around  this  seated  figure,  seen  to  the  knees, 
make  it  remarkably  lifelike. 

After  Goya  the  art  in  Spain  failed  again,  and 
became  but  a  reflection  this  time  of  French 
painting. 


CHAPTER    IV 

THE    FRENCH    PAINTINGS 

The  paintings  of  the  French  school  which  hang 
in  Gallery  50,  on  the  long  wall  to  the  right  and 
on  the  rear  wall,  are  not  many  in  number,  nor 
do  they  give  any  measurable  survey  of  French 
art. 

This  is  all  the  more  to  be  regretted  because  an 
opportunity  was  offered  to  have  at  least  one  period 
strongly  represented.  For  Frederick  the  Great  had 
been  a  passionate  admirer  of  the  French  paintings 
of  the  first  half  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  as 
well  an  indefatigable  and  discerning  collector  of 
the  works  of  Watteau,  Lancret  and  Pater.  But 
when  in  1820  the  Museum  collection  was  founded 
and  an  opportunity  was  given  to  select  paintings 
from  the  royal  collections,  this  Rococo  school  was 
not  regarded  with  any  favour  and  only  a  very  few 
paintings  of  this  period  were  taken.  Since  then 
the  royal  collections  have  been  closed  and  their 
treasures  are  barred. 

French  painting  began  in  the  fifteenth  century 
151 


152      Ubc  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

with  Jean  Fouquet.  The  most  notable  man  in  the 
sixteenth  century  was  Jean  Clouet.  Both  were 
portrait  painters.  The  religious  Primitives  are 
practically  unknown  outside  of  France. 

With  the  seventeenth  century  the  national  art 
awoke.  At  first  Italian  influence  was  strong. 
Nicolas  Poussin  (1594-1665),  although  he  spent 
most  of  his  life  in  Italy,  still  combined  with  an 
academic  method  of  drawing  his  figures  which  he 
had  acquired  from  the  Carracci,  and  in  which  he 
out-distanced  them,  also  an  original  love  of  nature 
which  made  him  create  the  heroic,  classic  landscapes, 
peopled  with  Greek  gods  which  are  the  foundation 
of  the  French  landscape  school. 

The  four  canvases  we  find  here  by  Nicolas 
Poussin  are  truly  characteristic  of  his  work.  The 
best  one  is  a  "  Landscape  of  the  Roman  Campagna, 
with  Matthew  and  the  Angel"  (478Ay.  All  is 
grand  and  quiet,  full  of  expression,  consecrated. 
Gently  the  Tiber  flows  through  the  solitary  plain, 
with  the  Evangelist  seated  upon  a  ruin  of  the  old 
world,  ready  to  herald  the  coming  of  the  new  dis- 
pensation. Other  examples  are  scenes  from  myth- 
ology. In  one  (463),  Juno  is  spreading  the  hun- 
dred eyes  of  Argus,  who  lies  dead  at  her  feet, 
over  the  tail  of  a  peacock.  A  second  (467)  shows 
the  infancy  of  Jupiter,  where  he  is  being  nourished 
by  the  milk  of  the  goat  Amalthea,  with  the  help 


XTbe  ffrcncb  patnttnGS  153 

of  two  nymphs  and  a  satyr.  The  third  (478)  gives 
the  figures  of  Helios,  Phaeton,  Saturn  and  the  four 
seasons  in  a  confused  minghng  which  leaves  the 
meaning  beclouded.  In  all  these  works  the  figures 
show  a  leaning  towards  Greek  statues,  especially 
the  heads  are  all  built  on  a  normal  pattern.  This 
gives  his  figures  a  peculiar  classic  feeling,  with  little 
animation.  His  thorough  knowledge  of  antiquity 
is  demonstrated  by  the  correct  drawing  of  Roman 
columns  and  other  architectural  remains.  The 
landscape  part,  however,  although  suffering  under 
the  general  mark  of  stiltedness,  has  still  a  genuine 
out-of-doors  feeling,  and  is  a  far  advance  on  what 
was  being  done  in  Italy. 

His  brother-in-law,  Gaspard  Dughet  (1613- 
1675),  adopted  his  name  Poussin,  and  followed 
his  method  closely,  emphasizing,  however,  more 
fully  the  landscape  in  his  compositions.  In  his 
"Roman  Mountain-landscape"  (1626)  the  Monte 
Cavo  and  Grotta  ferrata  have  a  wild  aspect,  made 
joyous  by  golden  sunlight. 

Claude  Lorrain  (1600-1682)  further  developed 
landscape  painting,  and  while  still  classic  in  his 
selections  and  sometimes  even  theatrical  in  com- 
posing, yet  he  infused  more  fully  the  spirit  of  at- 
mosphere, of  light,  and  the  poetry  of  nature  in 
his  work.  There  is  a  feeling  for  beauty,  free  and 
unhampered,  which  more  and  more  supersedes  the 


154      XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  (Balleries 

rule  of  rote.  A  characteristic  of  his  composition 
is  the  placing  of  a  heavy  clump  of  trees,  or  a 
temple  building  as  a  sidewing  in  the  foreground, 
whereby  the  background  appears  so  much  deeper. 
His  ''Italian  Coastscene "  (448B)  has  a  fine  re- 
ceding motif  of  a  gently  rising  ground,  flanked  by 
large  trees,  with  the  seashore  and  ships  in  the  dis- 
tance. The  charm  of  it  all  lies  in  the  soft,  undu- 
lating light  of  the  morning  sun.  The  few  small 
figures  in  the  foreground  were  added  by  Filippo 
Lauri  who  generally  painted  figures  in  Claude's 
landscapes.  A  so-called  "  Heroic  Landscape " 
(428)  has  his  usual  setting,  the  dark  sidewing  of 
heavy  trees  obtrudes  to  the  half  of  the  canvas, 
leaving  the  other  half  for  a  far  vista  of  undulating 
ground. 

While  these  men  were  painting  in  Italy  a  coterie 
of  artists  were  gathered  in  Paris  at  the  court  of 
Louis  XIV,  whose  official  painter  was  Charles 
Lebrun  (1619-1690).  He  was  the  founder  of  the 
French  Academy  of  Painters,  and  not  only  inspired 
but  controlled  and  directed  the  artists  who  sought 
public  recog^nition.  An  official  cachet  was  thereby 
given  to  the  work  that  was  turned  out  —  for  so 
we  may  well  call  it.  It  consisted  of  laudatory  por- 
traiture and  grandiose  historical  paintings  to  glorify 
indirectly  the  rei^n  of  le  Roi  Soleil.  The  one 
characteristic  word  that  applies  to  all  the  work  of 


PIERRE 
MIGNARD 


PORTRAIT  OF  MARIE  MANCINI 
Plate    XII 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ube  jftencb  paintings  155 

this  period  is  pomposity.  It  applies  to  the  large 
portrait-group  of  the  family  of  the  banker  Eberhard 
Jabach  (471),  a  noted  art  lover  of  his  day,  whose 
collection  passed  in  1672  to  Louis  XIV  and  forms 
to-day  still  an  important  part  in  the  Louvre  col- 
lections. 

Still  Lebrun  did  not  have  it  all  his  own  way. 
Pierre  Mignard  (1610-1695),  who  had  studied  in 
Rome,  on  his  return  to  Paris  became  the  rival  of 
Lebrun  in  public  favour.  His  "  Portrait  of  Marie 
Mancini  "  (465.  Plate  XII),  a  niece  of  Cardinal 
Mazarin,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  shows  with  all  its 
grace  and  beauty  a  greater  sincerity  and  simplicity 
than  the  assertive  work  of  his  opponent.  Largil- 
liere  (1656-1746)  was  more  academic,  his  portrait 
of  his  father-in-law,  the  landscape  painter  Jean 
Forest  (484A),  is  exceedingly  conventional.  A 
still  later  -academic  portrait  painter  was  Antoine 
Pesne  (1683-1757),  who  became  court-painter  in 
Berlin  in  1711,  and  resided  there  until  his  death. 
He  had  much  to  do  with  the  garnering  of  many 
of  the  valuable  eighteenth  century  paintings  which 
are  to-day  treasured  at  Sans-soucy,  Charlottenburg, 
and  other  royal  palaces  and  castles.  The  influence 
of  the  later  Rococo  tendency  is  seen  in  the  por- 
traits by  Pesn-e  which  we  find  here,  of  "  Frederick 
the  Great,  as  a  Youth  "  (489)  and  of  the  "  Artist 
with  his  two  Daughters  "  (496B). 


156     XTbe  Htt  of  tbe  Berlin  6allertC6 

If  any  time  it  was  the  eighteenth  century  when 
French  artists  were  radically  expressive  of  the 
character  of  their  period.  With  the  death  of  Louis 
XIV  France  entered  upon  a  new  era.  Pomposity 
and  arrogance  were  done  away  with,  and  a  new 
life  entered  upon,  less  rigid,  more  joyous  and  gay, 
running  every  note  in  the  scale  of  gallantry  and 
coquetry,  with  all  that  was  superficial  and  amusing. 
And  artists  interpreted  its  love  of  pleasure,  its 
elegance,  its  easy  morality.  The  grand  style  was 
over,  the  style  of  mediocrity  and  prudery;  instead 
of  magnificence  came  grace,  instead  of  great  ideals 
the  fantasy  of  love-making  and  masquerade  — 
after  the  huge  wigs  and  voluminous  draperies  of 
Rigaud  and  Largilliere  the  powder  and  satin  coats 
of  Nattier  and  Tocque.  Then  when  the  undertone 
of  suffering  and  sorrow  wias  heard  amongst  all  that 
frivolity,  as  voiced  in  the  philosophy  of  Diderot, 
Chardin,  and,  in  a  measure,  Greuze,  echoed  his 
doctrines  of  humanity  in  their  scenes  of  the  bour- 
geoisie. And  again  the  stern  thunderroll  of  the 
Revolution  called  forth  the  classic  Academicism  of 
David  and  Ingres. 

The  first  great  painter  of  this  dramatic  century 
was  Antoine  Watteau  (1684-1721).  He  was  the 
originator  of  the  school  of  gaiety  and  trifling  which 
ushered  in  the  eighteenth  century.  He  painted  ir- 
responsible people  j>assing  their  way  through  floral 


Ube  frencb  painttnQ0  157 

bowers  and  sylvan  groves,  laughing  and  courting, 
without  the  cares  of  a  day.  And  he  painted  these 
in  a  novel  way,  original,  decorative,  charming; 
with  a  new  freedom  of  laying  on  paint  and  using 
colours,  unique  as  compared  with  anything  that 
ever  had  been  done  in  Italy. 

There  are  four  of  his  paintings  in  the  Berlin 
Museum.  The  largest  of  these  belongs  to  his  most 
charming  works.  It  is  one  of  his  "  Fetes  Cham- 
petres  "  (474B),  a  motley  gathering  of  young  men 
and  maidens,  strolling  among  the  trees,  dancing 
and  singing,  or  withdrawn  for  murmuring  and 
whispering  where  the  doves  also  are  cooing  —  for 
it  is  towards  evening  —  and  later  the  nightingales 
will  be  heard. 

Two  other  paintings,  pendants,  give  fantastic 
displays  of  costumed  gallants  and  ladies  in  masks; 
the  one  called  "  Love  at  the  French  Comedy " 
(468),  the  other  "Love  at  the  Italian  Comedy  " 
(470).  In  this  latter  picture  Watteau  painted  a 
group  of  those  comedians  who,  banished  from 
France  by  Louis  XIV,  were  recalled  twenty  years 
later  by  the  light-hearted,  pleasure-loving  Regent, 
Philippe,  Duke  of  Orleans,  and  who  figure  so  fre- 
quently in  Watteau's  works.  Gilles  in  white  stands 
in  the  centre  playing  the  guitar  to  Columbine,  and 
around  them  the  Doctor  of  Bologna,  in  black, 
Harlequin  with  his  mask,  and  the  clown  Mezzetin 


158      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

holding  a  torch  which  effectively  lights  up  this 
nocturnal  scene.  There  are  also  other  characters 
of  the  Italian  comedy,  among  whom  Scapin  and 
Brighella.  "  Nowhere  else,"  writes  Claude  Philips, 
"  is  Watteau's  characterization  of  the  comedy  per- 
sonages so  keen  or  so  humourous  as  here.  The 
piece  has  an  irresistible  buoyancy,  a  contagious 
charm,  which  gives  it  a  place  apart  even  in  his 
gallery  of  stage  pictures." 

The  fourth  canvas  shows  a  "  Breakfast  al 
fresco  "  (474A)  of  two  ladies  with  their  lovers, 
a  work  of  great  elegance,  charm  and  grace. 

A  few  minor  men  of  that  school  are  yet  to  be 
noted.  Jean  de  Troy  (1679-1752)  has  another 
breakfast  scene  (469),  not  quite  so  charming,  and 
more  like  the  genre  of  the  next  century.  Jean 
Raoux  (1677-1734),  for  the  nonce,  chooses  a 
mythological  theme,  "  Cephalus  and  the  wounded 
Procris"  (498A). 

The  man  who  during  this  period  turned  from 
the  gay  frivolity  of  the  do-nothing  classes,  and  pro- 
claimed, as  Mirabeau  was  doing,  the  gospel  of  the 
common  people  —  a  gospel  which  few  heeded 
during  his  lifetime,  was  J.  S.  Chardin  (1699-1779), 
whose  genre  is  now  recognized  as  among  the  most 
exquisite  productions  of  the  time.  His  example 
here  is  a  "  Stillife,"  a  subject  which  he  always 
introduced  even  in  his  figure  compositions,  and  in 


tlbe  iftencb  paintings  159 

which  he  rivalled  the  greatest  of  the  Dutch  still- 
life  painters. 

J.  B.  Greuze  (1725-1805)  also  clung  for  his 
models  to  the  lower  orders,  but  he  attenuated  the 
effect  of  his  work  by  sentimentalizing.  The  little 
"  Girl's  Head  "  (494C),  which  we  find  here,  is  but 
one  of  a  great  many  which  he  turned  out,  full  of 
cloying  sweetness  and  vapid  sentiment.  From 
Joseph  Vernet  (1712-1789),  otherwise  known  as  a 
marine  painter,  we  have  here  a  view  of  the  ruins 
of  the  temple  of  Sybil  at  Tivoli  (484). 


CHAPTER   V 

THE   ENGLISH    PAINTINGS 

On  the  long  wall  in  this  same  Gallery  50  we 
find  the  few  examples  of  the  English  school,  all 
acquired  within  the  last  twenty  years.  They  are 
portraits,  except  one,  a  landscape  by  Richard 
Wilson. 

The  first  artist  is  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds  (1723- 
1792),  the  head  of  that  eighteenth  century  portrait 
school  which  has  made  English  art  famous.  One 
of  his  many  self-portraits  —  for  Sir  Joshua  loved 
to  paint  himself  —  is  commonplace  and  rather 
muddy,  but  "  Mrs.  Boone  and  her  Daughter  "  is  a 
portrait  in  his  best  style  with  that  typical  charm 
which  he  conveys  in  his  large  canvases.  His 
"  Kitty  Fisher  as  Danae  "  has  an  attempt  at  light- 
someness  which  never  suits  the  somewhat  ponderous 
hand  of  the  old  President  R.  A.  Although  Rey- 
nolds took  all  his  good  qualities  in  painting  from 
Italy  and  Holland,  he  had  at  the  same  time  a  faculty 
of  welding  these  in  an  individual  way,  so  that  his 
work  always  speaks  for  itself.     Without  arousing 

i6o 


XTbe  jEuQlisb  paintings  i6i 

enthusiasm  he  is  thoroughly  convincing  with  the 
truthful  manner  by  which  his  portraits  impress  us. 
Reynolds  was  by  no  means  as  great  an  artist  as 
Hogarth,  Gainsborough,  Constable,  or  Turner,  but 
still  he  was  one  of  the  greatest,  despite  his  apparent 
ignorance  or  carelessness  in  the  use  of  pigments, 
which  to  many  inferior  painters  is  rudimentary 
knowledge.  As  the  first  real  portrait  painter  of 
the  English  his  portraits  assume  the  rank  of  his- 
tory. His  portraits  of  men  are  distinguished  by 
dignity  and  character,  those  of  women  and  children 
by  a  grace,  a  beauty  and  simplicity  which  have 
seldom  been  equalled.  He  lacks  poignancy,  but  has 
a  broad  and  happy  generalization  that  always  pro- 
duces an  agreeable  sensation. 

A  portrait  of  "Mrs.  John  Wilkinson''  (1638) 
is  by  Sir  Joshua's  great  rival,  Thomas  Gains- 
borough (1727-1788).  The  two  were  widely  dif- 
fering characters.  Reynolds  was  diligent,  orderly, 
methodical  and  guided  by  prudence  and  sagacity; 
Gainsborough  was  careless,  incautious,  often 
brusque,  whimsical,  but  still  a  bright  and  lovable 
man.  It  is  easy  then  to  define  their  distinction 
in  art.  Sir  Joshua's  work  is  cogitated,  determined 
beforehand,  decisive;  Gainsborough's  is  more  im- 
provised, but  carried  out  with  a  perfect  harmony 
of  genius,  labour,  and  developed  skill.  For  as  a 
mere   painter  —  a   transmuter   of   a   palette ful   of 


i62     Zbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  6alleries 

pigments  into  light  and  air,  into  glowing  human 
flesh  and  waving  trees  —  he  has  no  superior. 
There  are  three  portraits  of  Mrs.  Robinson  in  the 
Wallace  Collection,  London,  by  Sir  Joshua,  by 
Gainsborough,  and  by  Romney.  The  Reynolds  and 
the  Romney  are  perhaps  better  portraits,  better 
likenesses,  but  one  will  more  readily  forget  these 
two,  and  remember  the  haunting,  thoughtful  face 
by  Gainsborough,  with  its  beautiful  feathery  touch 
amd  fascinating  refinement.  The  Mrs.  Wilkinson 
has  the  same  abiding  impressiveness  in  its  brilliant 
harmony  of  effect. 

George  Romney  (1734-1802)  was  sometimes 
almost  equal  to  Reynolds  and  Gainsborough  in 
masterful  portrayal  of  femininity,  for  men's  por- 
traits interested  him  little.  His  "  Portrait  of  a 
Lady  "  here  has  winsomeness  and  charm  of  colour. 
One  of  his  few  man's  portraits  is  also  here,  and  is 
unusually  strong.  Few  painters  have  been  more 
essentially  artistic  than  Romney.  He  had  an  acute 
perception  and  emotional  sympathy  for  what  was 
graceful,  elegant,  and  beautiful,  whereby  his  picto- 
rial presentation  becomes  intensely  fascinating  and 
pleasing.  He  lacked  the  depth  and  intellectual 
energy  of  the  learned  Reynolds,  the  keen  sensibility 
and  magnificent  colour  of  Gainsborough,  but  he 
had  an  adorable  delicacy  and  delicious  magic  which 
gave  him  high  rank  in  the  British  portrait  school. 


Ube  iBmlisb  paintings  163 

No  wonder  that  the  cry  was :  "  Romney  and  Rey- 
nolds divide  the  town,"  and  although  the  great 
painter  of  Leicester  Square  affected  to  despise  the 
work  of  "  the  man  in  Cavendish  Square,"  the  rival 
factions  were  very  evenly  divided. 

The  great  Scotchman,  Sir  Henry  Raeburn 
(1756-1823),  who  is  becoming  more  and  more 
appreciated,  has  a  life-size,  full-length  portrait  of 
a  man,  in  vigorous  style  and  ruddy  colour.  Rae- 
burn's  method  of  painting  was  to  be  absolutely  true 
to  nature,  and  although  he  possessed  ideality  he 
never  idealized  in  the  sense  of  exaltation  to 
imagined  perfection.  The  simplicity  and  honesty 
of  his  treatment  together  with  the  boldness  and 
freedom  of  his  brush  work  resulted  in  a  rare  com- 
bination of  felicity  of  likeness  and  strength  of 
character  in  the  many  masterful  portraits  he  has 
produced.  He  never  falls  into  the  weakness,  oft 
insipidity,  to  which  the  later  men  of  the  English 
portrait  school  frequently  descend. 

A  notable  example  of  this  decadent  spirit  was 
Sir  Thomas  Lawrence  (1769-1830),  whose  por- 
trait of  Mrs.  Williams  Linley  has  none  of  the 
salient  virility  and  energy  which  characterizes 
Raeburn's  work.  His  palpable  imitation  of  van 
Dyck  with  his  aristocratic  gentility  makes  him  a 
favourite  with  the  Philistine,  whose  taste  always 
runs  towards  the  pretty,  and  who,  when  viewing  a 


i64     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berltn  (Balleries 

glorious  sunset  in  nature,  will  call  it  "  very  artistic, 
indeed/' 

The  early  landscape  painter  Richard  Wilson 
(1713-1782)  has  here  a  landscape  in  his  exact, 
even  finnicky  style.  With  all  his  love  for  nature 
Wilson  rarely  grasped  its  supreme  spiritual  beauty, 
but  he  sought  in  realistic  portrayal  of  leaf  and  tree 
trunk  to  gain  a  realism  which  does  not  satisfy.  It 
lacks  the  breath  of  moisture,  the  enveloping  atmos- 
phere, the  play  of  light,  the  cumbersome  vitality 
of  plodding  kine.  It  is  hard,  dry,  glaring.  Not 
until  half  a  century  after  him  did  English  land- 
scape art  assert  itself  with  the  coming  of  Old 
Crome  and  the  Norwich  School,  to  be  brought  to 
its  supreme  expression  in  the  work  of  Constable. 

Herewith  we  have  completed  half  of  the  upper 
floor,  and  we  will  now  retrace  our  steps  through 
the  north  wing  to  the  entrance.  The  south  wing 
contains  the  Dutch,  Flemish  and  German  schools. 
To  view  the  paintings  there  systematically  and 
without  passing  from  one  to  the  other  room  and 
then  returning  to  the  first,  I  suggest  that  we  first 
visit  the  section  of  German  sculpture  in  the  right 
wing  of  the  lower  floor  where  we  find  the  German 
Primitives  and  continue  our  discussion  of  the  Ger- 
man school  by  visiting  on  the  upper  floor  Room  67 
where  the  works  of  Diirer  and  Holbein  are  found, 
and  Rooms  65  and  66  which  contain  the  German 


Ubc  iBxxQUsb  paintings  165 

paintings  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Then,  after 
completing  the  German  school,  we  may  review  the 
remainder  of  the  south  side  of  the  upper  floor, 
and  devote  ourselves  to  the  Dutch  and  Flemish 
paintings. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE   GERMAN    PAINTINGS 

The  earliest  painting  in  Germany,  as  everywhere 
north  of  the  Alps,  consisted  of  miniature  illumina- 
tion of  manuscripts  and  wall  paintings.  Panel 
paintings  began  with  the  thirteenth  century  and 
consisted  at  first  exclusively  of  altarpieces.  The 
earliest  of  these  works,  and  all  the  Primitives  up 
to  and  including  the  works  of  the  fifteenth  century, 
are  exposed  in  Galleries  24,  23,  and  20,  in  the  lower 
floor  of  the  Museum. 

The  oldest  easel  painting  in  Germany  is  the 
triptychon  altarpiece  which  came  from  the  Wiesen- 
kirche  of  Soest  in  Westphalia  (1216A),  repre- 
senting Christ  before  Caiaphas,  the  Crucifixion, 
and  the  Maries  at  the  Grave.  Although  originated 
under  Byzantine  influence,  the  drawing  and  com- 
position surpass  that  of  any  work  done  in  Italy  at 
the  time.  The  childish  naivete  of  the  early  German 
miniatures  has  already  been  quite  overcome,  and 
there   is   a   decided    feeling   for  space   composing, 

such  as  the  Florentine  school  did  not  develop  until 

i66 


Zbc  German  paintiuQs  167 

a  century  and  a  half  later.  The  work  must  date 
from  between  1200  and  1230,  and  shows  how  from 
the  beginning  the  racial  Teutonic  characteristic  of 
individualism  becomes  apparent.  Especially  is  the 
scene  of  the  women  at  the  grave  impressive.  They 
approach  slowly,  with  measured  steps,  and  regard, 
without  the  excessive  expression  of  astonishment 
which  an  Italian  would  have  found  necessary,  the 
appearance  of  the  angel  with  outstretched  wings, 
holding  a  sceptre  and  pointing  to  the  empty  grave. 
Here  these  women  are  German  types;  in  Italian 
works  they  are  conventional  females,  by  no  means 
Italian.  This  is  all  the  more  observable  since  the 
composition  of  these  scenes  is  of  Byzantine  origin, 
and  was  also  copied  by  later  Italians,  notably  by 
Duccio  in  the  Duomo  painting  in  Siena. 

Another  Westphalian  painter,  fifty  years  later, 
produced  a  triptychon  (1216B)  with  the  Trinity 
in  the  centre,  the  Madonna  on  one  side,  and  St. 
John  the  Evangelist  on  the  other.  The  figures 
are  not  as  fine  and  delicate  as  in  the  earlier  work, 
but  surpass  this  in  strength  of  form,  and  in  the 
large,  rich  folds  of  the  draperies  and  mantles  that 
cover  the  figures.  The  Trinity  contains  one  of 
the  earliest  individual  personifications  of  the  God- 
father, in  fact  this  entire  presentation  of  the  Trinity 
was  still  followed  by  Diirer  and  Titian,  with  whom 
the  Father  holds  a  presentation  of  the  Son  on  the 


i68      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  aBetlin  Galleries 

Cross  before  Him  and  is  overshadowed  by  the 
Dove. 

A  small  panel  of  strong  Gothic  appearance,  which 
must  originally  have  been  a  door  to  a  reliquary, 
comes  from  a  painter  of  the  lower  Rhine,  and  dates 
from  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century.  It 
shows  how  in  the  Middle  Ages  the  religious  sub- 
ject was  sometimes  burlesqued  by  the  emphasis  of 
details.  In  a  three-seated  throne,  which  has  much 
the  appearance  of  an  architectural  cozy-corner,  is 
Mary  seated  in  a  most  doleful  pose,  wrapped  in  a 
magnificent  brocade  dress,  which  is,  however, 
plainly  designed  to  indicate  her  approaching  mater- 
nity. In  the  other  corner  sits  Joseph,  dressed  like 
a  king,  but  in  the  form  of  an  emaciated  old  man 
with  a  long  white  beard,  and  holding  a  crutch. 
From  Joseph's  emphatic  gesture  and  the  demure 
bearing  of  Mary  it  seems  that  the  conversation 
concerns  the  Immaculate  Conception,  and  that 
Joseph  is  incredulous  of  Mary's  story. 

All  these  early  works  are  in  Room  24,  on  the 
lower  floor,  and  in  Room  23  we  find  those  that 
date  from  the  beginning  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
We  note  that  none  of  the  paintings  we  have  con- 
sidered are  signed,  neither  have  most  of  those  in 
this  room  a  signature.  The  artists  at  that  time, 
especially  in  Germany,  were  extremely  modest  and 
did    not    obtrude    their    identity   by    signing   their 


MARY  AND  THE  CHILD 


BERTHOLD 


Plate   XIII 


ST.  PETER  MARTYR 

Kaiser  Friedrich 

Museum 


Ube  German  paintings  169 

name,  so  that  almost  a  score  of  unknowns  go  by 
the  name  of  Meister  of  the  Life  of  Mary,  Meister 
of  the  Holy  Family,  and  so  on,  names  given  accord- 
ing to  the  principal  works  that  have  been  identified 
and  classified  as  belonging  to  certain  men. 

An  interesting  work  is  from  the  brush  of  Meister 
Berthold,  who  is  known  to  have  been  the  leading 
master  in  Nuremberg,  and  to  have  died  in  1430, 
whose  last  name  only  recently  has  been  discovered 
to  be  Landauer.  We  have  here  two  altarwings  by 
Landauer,  the  front  parts  sawed  from  the  back, 
making  four  panels.  "  Mary  and  the  Child " 
(1208)  and  "St.  Peter  Martyr"  (1209.  Plate 
XIII)  were  the  outside  figures,  the  inside  showing 
"St.  EHzabeth  of  Thuringia  "  (1207)  and  "John 
the  Baptist"  (1210).  The  characteristic  of  the 
Nuremberg  school  at  that  time  was  more  prosaic 
in  feeling,  but  at  the  same  time  more  thorough  and 
observant  in  modelling,  with  stronger  colour,  than 
the  Westphalian  manner.  The  figures  of  the 
women  are  slender,  the  well- formed  heads  gently 
inclined,  the  shoulders  slope  down,  and  the  begin- 
nings of  a  very  realistic  presentation  of  the  human 
form  are  seen.  The  strong  characterful  head  of 
Peter  Martyr  points  to  the  desire  for  individual- 
ization. The  hands,  although  not  completely  mod- 
elled, are,  nevertheless,  strong  and  indicating  the 
joints,  especially  with  the  men.     The  folds  of  the 


lyo       Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  (Galleries 

garments  are  well  arranged,  apparently  after  those 
in  sculpture.  The  dark  background  with  the  golden 
stars  in  our  picture  are  a  much  later  addition  by  a 
restorer. 

At  the  same  time  there  was  working  in  Cologne 
an  artist  who  goes  by  the  name  of  Meister  Wilhelm. 
A  remarkably  fine  little  altarpiece  with  wings 
(1238)  shows  Mary  in  a  rose-arbour  with  the 
saintly  women.  It  is  one  of  those  small  altarpieces 
that  were  used  in  the  home,  and  were  more  ideal- 
istic than  those  intended  for  churches.  The  child 
on  Mary's  lap  bends  over  towards  Dorothea  and 
scatters  flowers  from  her  basket  which  Catharina 
seeks  to  catch.  Margaretha  and  Barbara,  who  has 
her  small  tower  in  her  hand,  are  watching  the  play- 
ful antics.  On  the  wings  are  St.  Elizabeth  who 
clothes  a  cripple,  and  St.  Agnes  gazing  in  the  dis- 
tance. A  brilliant  colour,  through  which  a  weak 
carnation  tint  runs,  and  an  expression  of  deep,  but 
joyful  excitement,  are  the  prominent  traits  which 
attract  us.  Another  small  Madonna  (1205A)  has 
a  gold  background  with  many  graceful  ornaments, 
and  comes  from  another  Cologne  master  of  the 
same  period. 

This  early  Cologne  school,  however,  did  not 
develop  into  a  decisive  realism  until  worked  upon 
by  the  influence  of  the  old  Dutch  school.  Without 
in  any  way  detracting  from  the  sacredness  of  their 


I  I    •••  •  • 


MASTER  OF 
THE  LIFE 
OF  MARY 


MARY  IN  THE  ROSE  -  ARBOUR 
Plate  XIV 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ube  German  patnttnas  171 

subjects  the  early  Dutch  and  Flemish  painters  in- 
troduced their  figures  into  every-day  life,  delivered 
them  from  the  bane  of  the  gold  ground,  and  sur- 
rounded them  with  the  joyousness  of  all  nature. 
The  sacred  personages  and  saints  are  no  longer 
ethereal  beings,  but  flesh  and  blood,  real  humans; 
and  to  intensify  the  moral  teaching  of  their  lives 
they  are  placed  in  the  inner  rooms  of  fifteenth 
century  furnishing,  and  even  more  frequently  in 
the  open,  with  hill  and  dale,  forest  and  stream, 
cities  and  villages  in  the  distance.  This  suggested 
to  the  worshippers  that  the  lives  of  these  biblical 
beings  was  not  beyond  them  but  could  be  followed 
and  imitated.  This  realism  extended  further  to 
the  garments  worn  by  these  sacred  personages,  not 
the  non-descript  robes  of  the  Italians  but  the  cos- 
tumes of  the  common  people;  and  to  make  them 
look  more  like  the  neighbours  whom  everybody 
knew,  an  efifort  was  made  for  realistic  modelling, 
not  omitting  physical  imperfections,  even  though 
bordering  on  the  grotesque. 

The  active  commercial  intercourse  which  existed 
in  that  century  between  Cologne  and  the  Nether- 
lands by  means  of  the  Rhine,  was  the  source  of 
the  strong  impression  produced  upon  the  art  of 
the  Rhenish  provinces.  This  is  apparent  in  a  mag- 
nificent little  altarpiece,  called  "  Mary  in  the  Rose- 
arbour  "  (1235.  Plate  XIV.    In  Room  20),  by  the 


172     Zbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

so-called  Master  of  the  Life  of  Mary,  who  was 
active  in  Cologne  from  1463  until  1480.  The 
picture  has  the  old  favourite  theme  of  the  Cologne 
school  of  a  flowering  arbour  which  we  saw  already 
in  the  work  of  Meister  Wilhelm,  and  which  is  seen 
in  Meister  Stephan  Lochner's  painting  of  the  same 
subject  in  the  Cologne  museum.  Mary,  with  an 
expression  of  motherly  pride,  holds  the  nude  Child 
which  stretches  out  its  hand  for  the  flower  St. 
Barbara  offers  him.  St.  Catharina  is  deeply  en- 
grossed in  reading  a  Book  of  Hours,  and  St.  Mag- 
dalene holds  the  ointment  vessel  on  her  knee  as 
she  points  towards  the  venerable  donor  with  his 
two  sons.  At  the  other  corner  of  the  foreground 
are  the  donor's  wife  and  her  four  daughters,  like- 
wise kneeling.  These  two  groups  are  all  dressed 
in  canonical  costumes,  while  Mary  and  her  holy 
women  are  richly  arrayed.  The  faces  are  exceed- 
ingly gentle  and  soft,  although  the  pursed  lips  do 
not  make  the  features  attractive,  but  the  brilliant 
eyes  on  the  other  hand  add  much  to  their  expres- 
sion. Many  characteristics  point  to  Dirk  Bouts 
as  the  inspirer  of  this  painter  of  the  Life  of  Mary. 
The  portraits  of  the  donors  are  more  in  the  fine 
manner  of  the  van  Eycks,  but  the  sky  background 
is  still  golden. 

The  "Annunciation"    (1199),  in  two  parts,  is 
most  likely  the  work  of  the  same  master,  although 


llbe  German  ipatntings  173 

more  related  to  the  dry  manner  of  Hugo  van  der 
Goes.  The  faces  are  hard  and  expressionless,  and 
the  garments  full  of  crinkles,  and  not  graceful. 
The  background  is  no  longer  golden,  but  is  formed 
by  a  veranda  carried  out  along  perspective  lines. 
On  a  bench,  which  runs  around  the  two  parts,  we 
note  a  red  pillow  and  various  other  articles  of 
stillife,  and  a  gold-embroidered  tapestry  hangs  on 
the  wall. 

The  Master  of  the  Holy  Family,  who  appears 
first  in  1486  and  is  traced  up  to  1520,  has  an  altar- 
piece  with  wings  (578,  A.  B.  C).  He  went  a  step 
further  along  the  Flemish  way,  for  instead  of  the 
gold  background  we  find  a  beautiful  landscape 
dwindling  away  to  a  clear  blue  distance.  It  is  a 
Sacra  Conversazione  v/ith  many  saints.  The  types 
of  the  faces  are  animated,  the  colours  bright  with 
a  strong  reddish  fleshtone,  and  the  movements  are 
free  without  archaic  stiffness.  Only  the  folds  of 
the  dresses  are  still  hard  and  unnatural  with  many 
unnecessary  protuberances. 

The  Flemish  influence  comes  out  also  in  the 
Westphalian  school  of  Soest,  whence  we  have  a 
winged  altarpiece  (1222,  1233,  1234).  On  the 
main  wall  in  Room  20),  showing  the  "Cruci- 
fixion "  with  many  accompanying  scenes :  the  Judas 
kiss,  the  Carrying  of  the  Cross,  the  Burial  of 
Christ,  the  Last  Judgment.    The  artist  is  called  the 


174     XTbe  art  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

Schoppinger  Meister,  and  he  seems  to  have  some 
archaic  handicaps.  The  drawing  is  sufficient  in 
the  figures  that  are  at  rest,  but  where  they  move 
they  are  weak  and  stiff ;  the  colour  is  raw,  the  land- 
scape insignificant,  and  the  sky  of  gold.  The  many 
events  preceding  and  following  the  Crucifixion  are 
not  even  separated,  but  all  form  a  confusing  mix- 
ture. Over  a  hundred  persons  press  together  and 
crowd  each  other  to  enact  the  various  scenes.  It 
seems  to  be  the  object  to  make  an  impression  by 
the  multitude  of  excited  figures  rather  than  by 
quiet  pathos.  The  artist  is  more  restful  in  the 
scenes  depicted  on  the  wings,  especially  on  the 
inside  of  the  left  one,  with  the  early  history  of 
Christ.  On  the  outside  of  the  wings  are  shown  the 
"  Conversion  of  Paul  "  and  the  "  Crucifixion  of 
Peter." 

Four  panels,  the  separated  sides  of  two  altar- 
wings  (1205,  1206),  from  a  middle  Rhenish 
master,  present  "  Mary  with  the  Child,  and  the 
Trinity."  They  show  how  far  up  the  Rhine  the 
Flemish  influence  extended. 

The  Master  of  the  Glorification  of  Mary  was 
active  in  Cologne  between  1460  and  1490.  His 
"Adoration  of  the  Child"  (1235 A)  is  one  of  the 
most  beloved  themes  of  the  Flemish  and  German 
schools  in  the  fifteenth  century.  In  the  sixteenth  it 
is  set  aside  for  the  more  pompous  scene  of  the  visit 


BIRTH  OF  CHRIST 

HANS 

Kaiser  Friedrich 

MULTSCHER 

Plate  XV 

Museum 

Zbc  German  paintings  17s 

of  the  three  kings.  Here  we  find  the  Child  lying 
on  the  ground  in  a  ruined  hut,  with  Mary  in  adora- 
tion. In  a  half -circle  around  this  group  kneel 
Joseph,  holding  a  candle,  and  a  number  of  angels. 
Other  angels  flutter  like  dark-blue  birds  around 
the  roof.  Two  shepherds  are  seen  in  a  corner,  too 
stupefied  to  act. 

In  Room  23  we  find  a  large  winged  altarpiece 
of  eight  panels,  with  scenes  from  the  life  of  Mary 
and  the  Passion  of  Christ  (1621),  by  Hans 
Multscher  (1400-1467)  of  Ulm.  Next  to  Conrad 
Witz  and  Lucas  Moser,  Multscher  must  be  re- 
garded as  the  strongest  forerunner  of  Schongauer. 
His  art  with  its  many  figures  aims  less  to  arouse 
sentiment  than  to  give  a  clear  statement  of  facts, 
and  he  succeeded  therein  especially  by  a  remark- 
able rendering  of  physiognomic  expressions.  The 
most  attractive  panel  is  the  one  showing  the  "  Birth 
of  Christ"  (Plate  XV).  The  crowd  of  peasants 
pressing  against  the  fence,  presents  a  variety  of 
Bavarian  types,  in  contrast  with  the  Hebraic  fea- 
tures of  Joseph,  realistically  portrayed  with  leather 
gloves  to  protect  him  from  the  winter-cold.  The 
figure  of  the  Virgin  is  remarkably  successful,  but 
the  child  in  the  cradle  very  crude.  Perspective  and 
planes  were  not  yet  understood,  as  may  be  seen  by 
the  hill  on  which  the  shepherds  are  squatting  sur- 
rounded by  their  diminutive  sheep. 


176      Zbc  Hrt  of  tbe  JSetUn  Galleries 

Another  master  of  Ulm  was  Bernhard  Strigel 
(1460-1528).  Several  altarwings  are  found  here 
of  this  Bavarian  who  only  within  the  past  twenty 
years  has  been  discovered.  The  principal  one  of 
his  works  here  is  a  family  group  of  the  Imperial 
Councillor  Johannes  Cuspinian  (583B),  which  is 
the  work  that  led  to  the  discovery  of  the  artist's 
name,  who  was  formerly  known  as  the  Master  of 
the  Collection  Hirscher.  The  work  suffers  of  weak 
modelling,  poorly  drawn  hands,  and  bad  grouping, 
but  is  interesting  for  the  individual  expression  of 
the  heads  and  the  magnificent  colouring.  In  this 
respect  the  altarwings  with  religious  compositions 
are  less  attractive.  They  show  figures  of  saints 
and  scenes  from  the  life  of  Mary  (583,  606B  and 
C).  The  colour  here,  which  has  a  deep  red  for  its 
foundation,  is  exceedingly  sombre.  The  figures 
are  too  much  stretched,  the  faces  disfigured  by  big 
noses,  wide  mouths  and  small  protruding  chins. 
They  have  fiat  feet,  and  the  clothes  flutter  most 
inconsistently  around  the  square,  hooky  figures. 

These  Primitives  have  shown  us  the  gradual 
development  of  the  art  of  painting  in  Germany 
from  the  archaic  beginnings,  generally  along 
imitative  lines,  until  by  the  end  of  the  fifteenth 
century  a  few  men  arose  who  established  the  art 
with  truly  racial  characteristics,  and  stamped  it 
with  manifest  Teutonic  expression.    For  the  works 


»«"  »    » 


il* 

MARTIN 
SCHONCA  UER 


BIRTH  OF  CHRIST 
Plate   XVI 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


XTbe  German  ©aintina^  177 

of  these  men  we  ascend  again  to  the  second  floor, 
and  passing  through  Rooms  73,  72,  70  and  68,  we 
enter  Room  67,  where  the  great  masters  of  the 
German  school  are  gathered.  In  the  adjoining 
cabinets  65  and  66  we  find  a  few  works  which 
chronologically  belong  with  those  in  Room  67,  and 
which  we  shall  consider  in  their  proper  place,  since 
the  rooms  are  sufficiently  close  together  to  allow 
of  a  combined  survey. 

We  begin  with  a  small  altarpiece  that  has  been 
acquired  within  the  last  ten  years.  It  is  an  exceed- 
ingly rare  work  of  Martin  Schongauer  (1455- 
1491),  who  had  most  influence  upon  German  art 
by  his  113  etchings,  but  who  has  also  left  a  few 
easel  paintings.  Schongauer  was  born  in  Colmar, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  pupil  of  Rogier  van 
der  Weyden,  to  whom,  however,  he  merely  owes 
his  colouring.  His  conception  is  entirely  personal, 
and  his  composition  often  very  cleverly  designed. 
The  "Birth  of  Christ"  (1629.  Plate  XVI)  may 
remind  us  in  some  respects  of  Flemish  work,  it 
possesses,  nevertheless,  strong  characteristics.  For 
instance,  the  heroic  figure  of  Joseph  places  him  in 
a  position  of  importance,  which  he  scarcely  ever 
occupies  in  the  many  presentations  of  this  subject, 
where  he  is  generally  considered  quite  a  negligible 
quantity.  Joseph's  figure  is  perhaps  the  most 
successful  in  his  knightly  bearing,  the  protector  of 


178     Ube  Htt  ot  tbe  Berlin  (Galleries 

the  weak  and  helpless.  The  typical  faces  of  the 
two  shepherds  who  kneel  outside  the  shed,  and  of 
the  monk  —  possibly  the  donor  of  the  picture  — 
who  bends  over  them,  present  a  strong  charac- 
teristic of  the  south  German  school.  The  Virgin 
also  has  none  of  that  ethereal  or  spiritual  aspect 
which  the  Italians  always  bestow  upon  her.  She 
is  a  very  ingenuous  young  girl,  a  perfect  type  of  a 
German  fraulein,  with  long  blond  ringlets  hanging 
down  her  shoulders.  The  two  wings  (1629 A  and 
B),  although  belonging  to  this  altarpiece,  were 
painted  by  another  hand  after  Schongauer's  etch- 
ings. This  is  also  the  case  with  a  larger  altarpiece, 
a  "Crucifixion"  (562),  with  saints  on  the  side- 
wings. 

The  Ulmer  master  Bartholomaeus  Zeitblom 
(active  1484-1517)  was  not  so  strong  in  invention 
as  Schongauer,  but  his  work  is  very  solid  and  sub- 
stantial, even  though  the  paint  is  thin  and  dry. 
His  "Sweatcloth  of  Veronica"  (606A),  the  pre- 
della  of  an  altarpiece  which  is  now  in  the  Museum 
of  Stuttgart,  shows  two  half-length,  Hfe-size  angels 
who  hold,  spread  out  between  them,  the  napkin  on 
which,  according  to  the  legend,  the  face  of  Jesus 
was  impressed  when  Veronica  wiped  his  brow  on 
the  road  to  Calvary.  The  drawing  of  the  angels, 
especially  of  the  folds  of  their  white  dresses,  is 
very  poor  and  stiff  —  they  seem  to  be  duplicates 


XTbe  German  ipainttnQS  179 

reversed.  But  the  face  of  the  Christ  is  noble  and 
impressive.  His  "St.  Peter"  (561  A)  is  somewhat 
archaic.  The  saint  stands  before  a  gold-damask 
carpet,  with  book  and  key  in  his  hands. 

Max  Schaffner  (active  1500-1535)  was  another 
painter  of  Ulm  of  whom  little  is  known.  His 
"  Four  Saints  "  (1234B)  are  gracefully  posed,  and 
bespeak  a  worthy  artist. 

The  greatest  of  all  German  artists  commenced 
to  work  about  the  same  time,  with  the  beginning 
of  the  sixteenth  century.  Albrecht  Diirer  (1471- 
1528)  was  a  painter  of  masterly  ingenuity,  in 
whom  the  apogee  of  German  art  was  reached. 
Yet,  he  was  by  no  means  a  faultless  painter,  and 
there  was  a  reason  for  the  few  weaknesses  we 
detect  in  his  work.  The  Germans  in  general  were 
not  such  munificent  art-patrons  as  the  Italians  were, 
nor  was  the  demand  for  church  decoration  as 
extensive  as  it  was  in  the  south.  Commissions 
were  comparatively  few,  and  artists  found  it  more 
remunerative  to  execute  their  ideas  on  the  wood- 
block or  the  copper-plate,  and  by  utilizing  the 
printing  press  scatter  the  fruits  of  their  brain 
broadcast.  In  these  wood  engravings  and  etchings 
the  German  artists  spoke  the  fulness  of  their  talent ; 
therein  they  revealed  the  secret  treasures  of  their 
heart,  the  inventiveness  of  their  fancy,  and  an 
artistic   potency   such   as   was    rarely   seen   in   the 


i8o     XTbe  Htt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

Italian  Renaissance.  But  when  they  did  paint,  the 
habits  of  their  engraving  fastened  themselves  on 
their  work  in  oil.  They  showed  angularity  of  line, 
a  strain  of  pose,  a  huddling  of  the  composition  and 
an  overloading  with  details,  an  unnecessary  exact- 
ness, which  adds  to  the  charm  and  beauty  of  the 
parts  but  detracts  from  the  painting's  unity  and 
general  impression. 

Diirer,  the  typical  German  master,  suffers  also 
in  these  respects,  and  the  highest  estimate  of  his 
genius  we  may  form  only  by  examining  the  large 
number  of  crayon  drawings,  woodcuts  and  etchings 
which  he  has  produced.  Therein  he  has  revealed 
himself  as  the  pathfinder  in  genre  and  landscape, 
as  the  great  master  of  ornamentation  and  decora- 
tion, as  the  inspired  poet.  His  painting,  which 
consists  only  of  religious  subjects  and  portraiture, 
is  uneven,  but  at  times  marvellous  in  its  technique, 
its  imagination,  and  its  true  German  spirit.  His 
large  religious  works  are  in  the  Munich  and  Vienna 
Museums,  Berlin  only  possesses  five  portraits  and 
two  small  Madonnas. 

His  "Madonna  of  the  Finch"  (557F)  was 
painted  in  Venice  in  1506,  at  the  time  Diirer  painted 
his  famous  "  Rosewreath  Festival."  The  influence 
of  Bellini  and  the  other  Venetians  is  noticeable  in 
the  sumptuous  colouring,  but  the  composition  is 
exceedingly   confused.      Its   decorative   intent   and 


PORTRAIT  OF  HIERONYMOUS  HOLZSCHUHER 
ALBRECHT  Kaiser  Friedrich 

DORER  Plate  xvii  ^^^^^,,^ 


Xlbe  German  painttnas  i8i 

ornamentation  are  excessive,  and  the  drawing  not 
impeccable.  The  Madonna  is  seated  in  a  red 
covered  high-back  chair,  resting  one  hand  on  a 
book  and  accepting  with  the  other  a  sprig  of  may- 
flowers  which  the  Httle  John  offers  her.  But 
strangely  she  does  not  look  at  the  gift  but  gazes 
in  a  dreamy  way  to  the  other  side,  out  of  the  pic- 
ture. The  nude  child  is  seated  on  a  large  velvet 
pillow  that  rests  on  Mary's  lap,  from  which  it  is 
surely  about  to  slide  and  drop  to  the  floor.  The 
finch  is  perched  on  the  boy's  left  arm,  singing  away 
for  dear  life.  Two  winged  cupid-heads  float  at 
the  sides  of  Mary's  head  and  hold  a  jewelled  crown 
over  her.  The  landscape  seen  behind  the  throne  is 
a  conventional  one,  and  the  round  bunches  of 
foliage  of  single  trees  add  to  the  confusing  con- 
volution of  lines.  All  this  is  pointed  out  because 
it  is  the  most  characteristic  thing  about  Diirer's 
work  —  sureness  and  exactitude  in  an  orderless 
array  of  details,  and  weakness  in  the  ensemble 
effect.  While  perfect  in  the  portrayal  of  separate 
parts  he  failed  to  indicate  their  relative  importance 
and  value. 

This  failing  is  naturally  least  obtrusive  in  his 
portraiture,  where  the  minuteness  of  detail,  in  hair, 
cloth,  and  flesh  with  its  wrinkles  and  folds  and 
delicate  shadows,  only  adds  to  the  general  aspect 
of  truth  and  lifelikeness. 


i82    XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

Diirer's  best  portrait  here,  and  that  a  master- 
piece, is  the  "  Portrait  of  Hieronymous  Holz- 
schuher"  (557E.  Plate  XVII),  the  prominent 
Nuremberg  Councillor,  and  Diirer's  great  friend. 
One  sees  in  this  face  the  strong  Teutonic  type,  a 
man  of  affairs,  a  firm,  noble  character  and  imposing 
personality.  The  reflection  of  the  light  from  a 
window  in  the  pupils  of  the  eyes  heightens  their 
brilliancy  and  penetration.  The  minute  execution 
of  the  hair,  especially  that  hanging  over  the  fore- 
head, and  of  the  beard,  and  the  delicate  painting 
of  the  fulness  and  hollows  in  the  face  leave,  when 
seen,  an  impression  never  to  be  forgotten. 

This  portrait,  as  well  as  the  one  of  Jacob  Muffel 
(557D),  belong  to  the  last  years  of  the  master, 
having  been  painted  in  1526.  The  Muffel  portrait 
is  not  quite  as  attractive  at  first  appearance,  owing 
to  the  less  energetic  person  who  sat  for  it.  But 
the  masterful  handling  of  the  bluish  and  greenish 
tinted  shades  around  the  eyes,  the  wrinkles  and 
folds  in  the  skin  of  the  aged  burgomaster,  the  deep 
green  jacket  over  which  the  fur-lined  coat  is 
thrown,  all  against  a  light-blue  background,  make 
this  portrait  technically  of  equal  excellence. 

The  "  Woman  by  the  Sea  "  (557G)  is  a  portrait 
of  his  wife  Agnes  Diirer,  who  accompanied  her 
husband  on  his  trip  to  Venice  where  this  portrait 
was  painted,  as  well  as  the  one  of  a  young  girl 


HANS 

BALDUNG 

GRIEN 


HEAD  OF  A  GREY  -  BEARD 
Plate  XVIII 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ube  C^etman  paintings  183 

(5571).  The  former  is  a  striking  piece  of  colour 
work.  The  large  head  of  an  ordinary  looking 
woman,  a  typical  hausfrau,  almost  fills  the  panel, 
with  a  background  of  blue  sky,  and  a  glimpse  of 
the  sea  horizon  just  above  her  shoulders.  Very 
little  of  the  square  cut-out,  rich  dress  is  seen,  but 
a  broad  collaret  of  small,  brilliant  sea-shells  hangs 
around  the  well- formed  neck. 

The  second  Madonna  (557H)  is  dated  1518, 
and  shows  Mary  in  prayer,  gazing  heavenward. 
One  half  of  the  background  is  a  red  stone  wall, 
the  other  half  a  green  curtain  which  gives  a  raw 
effect  to  the  colouring.  The  remaining  portrait 
is  that  of  Frederick  the  Wise  of  Saxony  (557C). 
It  is  an  early  work,  of  1496,  and  while  it  is  tech- 
nically worthy  of  the  young  master  it  is  a  repulsive 
looking  object.  The  Elector  himself  was  but  thirty 
years  old,  but  a  very  homely  man.  The  long, 
straight  nose  runs  in  a  sharp  point  half-way  down 
over  the  upper  lip,  deep  grooves  run  from  the  top 
of  the  nostrils  to  the  corners  of  the  mouth,  a  heavy 
frown  contracts  the  bushy  eyebrows  which  over- 
hang sharp,  piercing,  dark-brown  eyes.  The 
crinkly  hair  hangs  down  on  the  shoulders,  and 
the  huge  ungainly  hands  are  crossed,  resting  on 
the  balustrade  behind  which  the  Prince  is  standing. 
And  yet,  there  is  a  fascination  about  this  homely 
subject  by  reason  of  its  excellent  painting  quality. 


i84     Ube  Htt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

Diirer's  pupil,  Hans  Schaufelein  (1480-1540), 
followed  his  master  very  closely.  He  is  also  at  his 
best  in  wood-engraving.  His  "  Last  Supper " 
(560)  is  an  excellent  example  of  his  style.  It 
shows  his  grey-blue  colouring,  the  feathery  treat- 
ment of  foliage,  and  the  short  proportions  of  his 
figures. 

Hans  Baldung  Grien  (1476-1552)  of  Strassburg, 
was  a  friend  of  Diirer,  whom  he  followed  in 
technique,  while  in  colour  he  was  more  influenced 
by  Mathias  Griinewald,  the  "  German  Correggio  " 
as  he  was  called,  of  whom  no  example  is  found 
here.  This  is  to  be  regretted  since  Griinewald  must 
be  ranked  as  next  to  Diirer  and  Holbein  in  German 
art. 

Baldung's  affiliation  with  Diirer  is  seen  in  the 
"Head  of  a  Grey-beard"  (552B.  Plate  XVHI), 
which,  nevertheless,  shows  great  individuality  of 
execution,  the  beard  especially  being  a  marvellous 
piece  of  painting.  It  is  a  wonderfully  expressive 
face,  full  of  character,  keen  and  slightly  humourous. 
But  Baldung  was  notably  a  colourist.  This  is  seen 
in  his  "Crucifixion"  (603)  where  colour  domi- 
nates the  whole  in  rich  harmony.  Green,  whence 
Baldung  got  his  appellation,  is  the  keynote.  It 
shimmers  in  the  mantle  of  Mary  Magdalene  who 
embraces  the  cross,  and  throughout  the  landscape, 
and  gives  the  undertone  to  all  the  many  varied 


HANS 

VON 

KULMBACH 


ADORATION  OF  THE  KINGS 
Plate   XIX 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Zbc  German  paintings  185 

colours  which  produce  an  effect  as  if  one  sees  sun- 
light pouring  through  a  stained-glass  window. 
The  snow-capped  mountains  in  the  distance,  and 
above  them  the  dark  cloudmasses  form  a  strong 
note,  while  the  fluttering  of  the  loin-cloth  of  the 
Christ  sounds  like  a  pathetic  cry  in  the  hour  of 
agony.  The  gathered  crowd  is  portrayed  with  all 
the  emotions  which  the  scene  called  forth,  sorrow, 
horror,  astonishment,  indifference  —  these  all  are 
written  on  the  faces  of  the  onlookers.  A  winged 
altarpiece  (603 A),  whereof  the  centre  panel  shows 
the  "  Adoration  of  the  Kings,"  looks  like  a  rich 
piece  of  tapestry.  Here  also  the  bright  green  is 
seen  in  the  mantle  of  the  Moor,  in  the  large  cap  of 
the  King  who  stands  in  the  centre,  and  in  the  foliage 
of  the  landscape. 

These  last  two  examples  of  Baldung  are  found 
in  Cabinet  65,  but  before  examining  the  other 
paintings  there  we  will  enter  Gallery  66  to  view 
the  work  of  another  follower  of  Diirer.  This  is 
Hans  von  Kulmbach  (1476-1522),  whose  master- 
piece, the  "  Adoration  of  the  Kings  "  (596A.  Plate 
XIX),  is  the  principal  work  in  this  gallery.  Kulm- 
bach studied  at  first  with  Jacopo  de  Barbari,  who 
resided  in  Germany  from  1500  until  1505,  before 
he  entered  Diirer's  studio,  and  this  double  influence 
is  plainly  visible  in  all  his  work.  In  fact,  Kulmbach 
was  the  first  to  be   signally   attracted  by   Italian 


i86      XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

methods,  an  inclination  which  later  developed 
throughout  German  art,  soon  to  cause  its  decay 
and  death.  The  animated  groups  of  figures  in  this 
composition  are  held  together  by  architectural  lines. 
The  stately  arches  of  the  ruins  of  a  palace,  through 
which  the  blue  sky  and  a  bright,  hilly  landscape 
are  seen,  form  the  foundation  of  the  construction, 
which  is  without  stiff  regularity  and  exceedingly 
well  arranged.  Mary  holds  on  her  lap  the  well- 
formed  nude  child,  which  runs  its  fingers  through 
the  gold  the  eldest  of  the  kings  kneeling  offers  in 
his  cap.  The  group  of  the  other  king  to  whom  his 
servant  offers  a  golden  goblet  is  equally  important, 
and  the  kneeling  Arab,  and  Joseph  discoursing 
with  the  courtiers  form  a  complete  balance.  The 
costumes  are  rich  and  resplendent,  a  mixture  of 
Oriental  and  Muscovite,  and  the  work  excels  any- 
thing of  Durer's  in  the  variety  of  the  actions,  and 
the  lively  play  of  eyes  and  gestures.  The  melting 
and  transparent  clearness  of  the  colours,  which  are 
put  on  so  thinly  that  the  grain  of  the  wood  shows 
through  in  places,  the  fine  transitions  from  light  to 
dark,  and  the  soft  harmony  of  the  whole  colour 
scheme  give  this  panel  a  jewellike  appearance. 

A  further  development  of  splendour  in  painting 
—  a  characteristic  not  peculiarly  Germanic,  but 
the  result  of  southern  influences  —  was  seen  in  the 
rise  of  the  school  of  Augsburg  which  rivalled  the 


HANS 
BURGKMAIR 


ST.  BARBARA 
Plate  XX 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ube  German  patntinos  187 

one  at  Nuremberg.  Its  principal  master  was  Hans 
Burgkmair  (1473-1531),  who  distinguished  him- 
self by  the  grand  sweep  of  his  lines  and  the  full 
wealth  of  his  colour.  The  two  altar  wings,  one  with 
"  St.  Ulrich  "  (569),  the  patron-saint  of  Augsburg, 
the  other  with  "St.  Barbara"  (572.  Plate  XX), 
are  fine  examples  of  his  ripe  and  restful  art  with 
their  distinguished  form  and  flowing  brushwork. 
In  place  of  the  broken  curves  in  the  dress-folds  we 
find  here  a  simple,  noble  fall  of  the  folds,  and  the 
movement  of  the  figures  also  has  nothing  of  the 
halting  and  angular  constrainedness  of  early  Ger- 
man art.  In  the  St.  Barbara  the  excessive  protu- 
berance of  the  abdomen  is  curious  as  illustrating 
the  queer  fashion  and  the  ideal  of  beautiful  form 
in  Burgkmair's  time,  which  had  also  been  the  mode 
a  century  earlier,  as  seen  in  Jan  van  Eyck's  Por- 
trait of  the  wife  of  Arnolfino  in  the  National  Gal- 
lery in  London.  The  fish  in  the  hand  of  St.  Ulrich 
refers  to  the  legend  that  this  holy  man  was  once 
caught  by  a  messenger  from  the  Duke  of  Bavaria 
as  he  regaled  himself  with  a  luscious  roast  goose 
—  on  Friday,  a  fast-day.  The  page  took  a  piece 
to  carry  it  to  the  Duke  and  accuse  Ulrich  of  this 
profanity.  But  when  he  came  to  Munich  and 
appeared  at  the  court,  the  goose-bone  in  his  hand 
had  changed  into  a  fish. 

Burgkmair's    pupil,    Jorg    Breu    (active    1501- 


i88      XTbe  Htt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleties 

1536),  was  less  grand  and  impressive,  more  delicate 
and  idyllic  in  his  compositions.  His  ''  Mary  with 
the  Child  and  Saints"  (597A)  is  a  picture  of 
decorative  quality,  fantastically  ornamented  with 
putti  playing  in  the  flowery  sward,  and  floating  in 
the  air  to  place  a  monstrously  large  gold  crown  on 
the  Madonna's  head. 

Nearby  hangs  a  recently  acquired  and  not  yet 
catalogued  example  of  Martin  Schaffner  (1480- 
1541),  of  Ulm,  consisting  of  four  panels  on  which 
saints  and  ecclesiastics  are  portrayed.  The  rich 
Renaissance  architecture  shows  that  the  Augsburg 
influence  of  Burgkmair  affected  strongly  the  Ulmer 
master. 

This  gallery  is  further  filled  with  many  works 
of  Lucas  Cranach  the  Elder,  and  of  his  contempo- 
raries; but  before  discussing  Cranach  we  mustj 
return  to  Room  67  to  examine  the  work  of  Albrecht 
Altdorfer  (1480-1538),  of  Regensburg,  a  man 
who  ranks  very  high  in  German  art.  He  was  a 
Romantic  painter  through  and  through,  a  naive, 
ingenious  dreamer,  a  poet  born.  He  was  the  first 
in  German  art  who  devoted  special  attention  to 
the  landscape  part,  and  who  used  his  figures  more 
as  garniture  than  as  the  main  object  in  his  pictures. 
He  has  been  called  the  father  of  German  landscape 
painting,  and  more  specifically  as  the  founder  of 
the    so-called    Donau-stil.      How    charmingly    he 


ALBRECHT 
ALTDORFER 


l:EST  ON  THE  FLIGHT  TO  EGYPT 
Plate  XXI 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


XTbe  German  paintings  189 

knows  how  to  paint  the  soHtude  of  the  forest. 
The  bright  morning  sun-ray  breaks  through  the 
light- green  of  young  firs  and  beeches  and  changes 
the  dew-drops  into  diamonds,  and  into  jewels  the 
many  coloured  beetles  that  scurry  through  the  soft 
moss.  No  one  before  him  had  ever  caught  the 
poetry  of  glades  and  glens. 

Already  the  small  diptychon,  of  1507  (638), 
which  shows  to  the  left  the  stigmatization  of  St. 
Francis,  and  to  the  right  St.  Jerome  chastising 
himself  in  the  desert,  speaks  strongly  through  the 
wooded  mountainscape  in  the  background.  The 
"  Birth  of  Christ "  (638A)  was  painted  five  years 
later  and  is  a  romantic  portrayal  of  the  Holy  Night, 
placed  in  the  ruins  of  a  dilapidated  hut.  The  three 
angels  bedding  the  child  in  its  crib  are  graceful  and 
sympathetic,  and  the  other  angelgroup  in  the  sky 
joins  with  childish  awkwardness  to  sing  the  Gloria. 

We  find  here  also  the  gracious,  animated  "  Rest 
on  the  Flight  to  Egypt  "  (638B.  Plate  XXI).  Not 
an  oasis  in  the  desert  is  the  tarrying  place,  but  a 
lake-beach  with  the  ruins  of  an  old  Gothic  home, 
and  in  the  foreground  a  magnificent,  ornate  Italian 
Renaissance  fountain,  whereof  the  sculptured 
centrepiece  reaches  high  in  the  air.  Faithful  Joseph 
has  been  gathering  cherries,  after  first  providing  a 
high-backed  armchair  for  Mary.  Their  faces  are 
exceedingly   homely,    Mary's   especially   being   the 


iQo     Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbe  IBerltn  6allcries 

limit  of  commonplace,  but  the  gambols  of  the  putti 
around  the  rim  of  the  basin  are  wonderfully  charm- 
ing. The  colour  is  in  keeping  with  this  decorative 
theme  which  is  more  than  decoration,  even  poetic 
idealism  in  its  highest  flight. 

In  the  next  room,  65,  we  find  three  more  of  his 
works.  The  "  Landscape  with  Satyrs "  (638A) 
is  by  far  the  best  of  these,  with  its  fantastic  moun- 
tains in  the  background  and  a  satyr  family  camping 
under  high  trees  forward.  The  German  tendency 
to  didactic  moralizing  is  shown  in  a  composition 
that  bears  the  title  "  Poverty  sits  on  the  train  of 
Riches"  (638C),  which  has  a  fantastic  landscape 
and  high  castle  architecture.  A  richly  gowned 
pair,  on  whose  train  a  beggar  family  is  seated, 
approaches  the  steps  of  their  aristocratic  home  and 
is  welcomed  by  the  major  domo  with  a  brimming 
tankard.  The  "Crucifixion"  (638D)  is  in  the 
same  general  style. 

The  best  represented  German  artist  is  Lucas 
Cranach  the  Elder  (1472-1533)  of  whom  seven- 
teen paintings  are  found  here,  three  mythologies, 
five  portraits,  eight  biblical  stories,  and  the  famous 
allegory,  "Fountain  of  Youth"  (593).  A  wide 
basin  of  water,  to  which  one  descends  by  three 
stone  steps,  has  in  the  centre  a  fountain  on  which 
stand  the  statues  of  Venus  and  Amour.  On  the 
left  where  the  ground  is  hard,  rocky  and  sterile  a 


LUCAS 
CRANACH 
THE  ELDER 


REST  ON  THE  FLIGHT  TO  EGYPT 

Plate   XXII 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


XTbe  German  paintings  191 

large  number  of  women,  most  of  these  old,  are 
carried  to  the  basin  in  wagons,  carts  and  wheel- 
barrows, disrobed,  and  plunged  into  the  water.  To 
the  right  in  the  water  they  appear  as  young  girls, 
who  gambol  and  play  about  and  do  all  kinds  of 
mischief.  On  that  side  is  a  large  carpet  spread 
on  the  lawn  to  which  a  herald  invites  them  to  be 
dressed  in  costly  garments.  Farther  back  a  table 
is  loaded  with  good  things  and  a  banquet  takes 
place,  after  which  the  green  and  shady  lanes  be- 
yond beckon  the  rejuvenated  ones  to  oozy  walks 
with  gallants  awaiting  them.-  This  picture,  which 
Cranach  painted  in  his  seventy-fifth  year,  is  replete 
with  humour  and  exceedingly  attractive  in  its 
arrangement  and  colour. 

By  contrast  we  will  now  notice  his  earliest  ac- 
credited work,  the  "  Rest  on  the  Flight  to  Egypt " 
(564 A.  Plate  XXII),  which  is  at  the  same  time 
the  most  beautiful  work  which  he  has  produced. 
It  still  rings  serious,  and  his  later  mannerisms  are 
not  yet  apparent.  A  strong,  brilliant  evening  red 
illuminates  the  sky.  The  parents  have  just  halted 
in  the  Frankish  forest  with  its  rocks  and  fir  trees, 
and  at  once  eight  angels  have  rushed  on  to  welcome 
the  young  child,  to  bring  it  water  and  fruit,  and 
amuse  it  with  music  and  song.  They  are  the  little 
wood-sprites  who  have  come  out  of  their  hiding 
places.    The  self-conscious  stare  and  pose  of  Mary 


192     Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbc  Berlin  Galleries 

and  Joseph  is  somewhat  disturbing  but  does  not 
much  detract  from  the  charm  of  the  children's  play. 

Another  early  picture  is  the  "  St.  Anne  "  (567A) 
which  used  to  be  ascribed  to  Griinewald.  Here 
also  do  we  find  a  certain  imposing  grandeur  in  the 
forms,  even  though  they  be  stiff  in  the  lines.  The 
two  women,  Mary  and  Anne,  are  seated  on  a  hewn 
block  of  stone,  while  three  tiny  cupids  hold  a  large 
red  drapery  behind  and  over  them  in  a  somewhat 
inexplicable  manner.  A  lovely  landscape  is  seen 
stretching  behind  the  curtain,  and  the  colouring  is 
rich  but  quiet. 

But  Cranach  did  not  fulfil  his  early  promises, 
soon  he  sank  to  the  level  of  an  artisan.  He  did 
not  have  the  depth  of  Diirer,  nor  Holbein's 
technique,  and  gradually  he  repeated  himself  to 
such  an  extent  that  he  became  conventional  and 
mannered.  The  heads  of  his  men  became  expres- 
sionless, and  the  women,  with  their  big  feet,  thin 
bodies,  thick  hips,  square  heads  rounded  off  at  the 
corners,  and  oblique  eyes  like  the  Chinese,  are  by 
no  means  attractive  on  close  examination.  Besides 
he  was  weak  in  light  and  shade,  his  brushwork 
smooth  and  hot,  with  a  hard  seal-red  always  shining 
through. 

Of  Old  Testament  subjects  he  preferred  "  Adam 
and  Eve  "  (567),  because  he  had  the  chance,  under 
biblical  pretext,  to  paint  a  couple  of  nude  figures. 


Ubc  German  paintings  193 

The  scene  of  "  Bathsheba's  Footbath"  (567B)  is 
quite  naive,  with  David  playing  assiduously  on  the 
harp  while  over  the  wall  he  watches  Bathsheba's 
ablutions. 

His  "  Burial  of  Christ  "  (581)  is  one  of  a  series 
of  nine  passion  scenes  painted  by  Cranach  and  by 
his  son.  Six  of  these  are  still  in  the  royal  castles, 
while  the  one  here,  "  Washing  the  Apostles'  Feet  " 
(579),  is  by  the  son,  Lucas  Cranach  the  Younger 
(1515-1586),  who  was  a  weaker  man,  although  he 
changed  his  father's  deep  red  to  a  more  pleasing 
rosy  colour. 

The  elder  Cranach's  mythological  scenes  were 
of  great  variety,  sometimes  amusingly  absurd,  at 
other  times  naive  and  ingenuous.  The  "  Apollo 
and  Diana"  (564)  is  quite  an  original  conception. 
Apollo  with  his  bow  and  arrows  in  his  left  hand, 
and  in  his  right  the  inevitable  and  ostentatious  leafy 
branch,  looks  down  on  Diana,  who  is  seated  on  the 
back  of  a  fine  stag  lying  on  the  ground.  Diana  is 
a  charming,  well- formed  figure,  but  Apollo  —  with 
a  beard !  —  looks  like  an  ill-carved  wooden  block. 
Another  group  is  distinctly  funny.  "  Venus  and 
Amour"  (1190)  meet  in  the  woods,  and  Amour 
complains  of  the  stings  of  the  bees  who  had 
attacked  him  while  stealing  honey,  but  Venus  tells 
him  that  the  wounds  of  his  arrows  are  still  more 
painful.      In   this   and   in   another  Venus   picture 


194     Xlbe  Htt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

(594)  Cranach  overreached  himself  by  painting 
the  figures  Hfe-size,  which  would  require  greater 
ability  to  draw  and  richer  colour,  in  which  he 
signally  failed. 

And  Cranach  was  besides  an  indefatigable  por- 
trait painter,  who  took  commissions  wherever  he 
could.  Living  at  the  beginning  of  the  Reformation 
period  he  filled  orders  at  wholesale  for  Luther  and 
Melanchthon  portraits.  He  was  the  only  one  al- 
lowed to  paint  Luther's  portrait,  and  he  has  turned 
out  about  fifty  portraits  of  the  Reformer.  But  this 
did  not  prevent  him  to  keep  on  good  terms  with 
the  other  side,  the  princely  leaders  of  the  old  faith. 
He  painted  many  years  for  Cardinal  Albrecht  von 
Brandenburg,  Luther's  staunchest  opponent.  We 
have  two  portraits  of  this  cardinal,  one  as  St. 
Jerome  (589),  in  a  pleasant  sylvan  retreat,  sur- 
rounded by  many  forest  animals,  the  other  in  his 
Cardinal-robes  (559).  At  the  same  time  we  have 
here  a  portrait  of  Katharina  von  Bora  (637), 
Luther's  wife,  whom  Cranach  first  introduced  to 
the  Reformer.  We  find  further  portraits  of  Johann 
Friedrich  the  Goodhearted  (590),  and  of  a  young 
Patrician  (618),  with  a  black  barette  and  small 
beard. 

Cranach  was  an  arduous  worker,  for  not  satisfied 
with  pouring  out  the  large  multitude  of  pictures  of 
his  own  invention  he  also  copied  what  pleased  him, 


PORTRAIT  OF  EMPEROR  CHARLES  V 
CHRISTOPH  Kaiser  Friedrich 

Plate  XXIII 


AMBERGER 


Museum 


Ubc  German  paintings  195 

and  his  taste  in  this  direction  is  indicated  by  a 
smooth,  sober  copy  which  he  made  of  the  "  Last 
Judgment"  (563),  of  Hieronymous  Bosch,  >the 
original  of  which  is  in  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts 
in  Vienna. 

Among  the  other  paintings  in  these  two  cabinets, 
65  and  66,  we  must  yet  notice  the  fine  burgo- 
master's portrait  of  Johannes  von  Ryht  (588), 
by  Bartholomaeus  Bruyn  (1493-1553),  the  last 
of  the  school  of  Cologne.  This  portrait  shows  a 
refreshing  similarity  to  Dutch  work,  and  his 
"Madonna  with  the  Child"  (639),  before  whom 
a  Duke  of  Cleves  kneels  as  donor,  has  some 
reminiscence  of  van  Eyck's  jewellike  colouring. 
In  his  later  work  the  artist  weakened  considerably 
by  imitating  Italian  painting. 

Christoph  Amberger  (1500-1561),  of  Augsburg, 
was  one  of  the  contemporaries  of  the  younger 
Holbein.  His  portrait  work  gives  him  a  high 
standing,  only  second  to  Diirer  and  Holbein.  The 
commission  which  gave  him  his  great  popularity 
was  to  paint  the  portrait  of  the  Emperor  Charles 
V  (556.  Plate  XXIII),  at  the  age  of  thirty-two. 
Sandrart,  the  Vasari  of  German  artists,  tells  the 
story  that  the  Emperor  was  so  well  pleased  with 
the  work  that  he  ordered  the  artist  paid  three  times 
the  stipulated  price  of  twelve  Thalers,  and  a  golden 
chain  to  be  added,  saying  that  Titian,  who  charged 


196     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  iBerlin  Galledes 

one  hundred  Thalers  for  a  portrait,  could  not  have 
done  better.  The  pale  face  is  characterized  with 
the  Habsburg  protruding  lower  lip  and  chin,  but 
it  has  refined  features,  and  there  is  character  and 
will-power  in  the  strong  forehead  and  the  steady, 
level  eyes. 

Of  greater  psychological  interest  is  his  portrait 
of  the  great  savant  Sebastian  Munster  (583),  at 
the  age  of  sixty-five.  Formerly  a  Franciscan 
monk  he  had  embraced  the  new  faith,  and  was  at 
the  time  Professor  of  Hebrew,  Theology,  and 
Mathematics  in  Basel.  He  was  the  first  to  edit  a 
Hebrew  Bible,  and  wrote  a  Cosmography,  one  of 
the  first  geographies  which,  besides  describing 
countries  and  peoples,  also  contained  exhaustive 
historical  and  genealogical  dissertations.  This  in- 
tellectual grey-head  is  seen  here  with  a  black 
barette  and  a  black  mantle  bordered  with  heavy 
white  fur,  which  stand  out  sharp  and  clear  against 
the  green  background.  The  presentment  is  ani- 
mated, the  handling  of  the  brush  technically  perfect. 

Georg  Pencz  (1500-1550),  a  pupil  of  Diirer,  has 
also  done  his  best  work  in  portraiture,  in  which 
he  happily  combined  the  warmblooded  realism  of 
his  native  art  with  the  colourful  vivacity  of  Italian 
exemplars.  The  portraits  of  the  painter  Erhard 
Schwetzer  of  Nuremberg  (582),  and  that  of  his 
wife  (587),  excel  in  the  strikingly  simple  arrange- 


Ubc  (German  patnttngs  197 

ment  and  their  lifelikeness.  Especially  the  woman's 
portrait,  in  conception,  pose  and  bearing,  has  a 
truly  modern  appearance.  The  portrait  of  a  young 
man  (585)  has  none  of  the  closeness  and  stilted- 
ness  of  the  Diirer  school,  but  is  painted  with  a 
free  and  flowing  brush.  The  young  man  is  seated 
behind  a  table  covered  with  a  cloth  whereof  the 
texture  painting  equals  anything  of  the  kind  pro- 
duced by  Holbein. 

Several  works  by  unknown  masters  cannot  be 
omitted.  A  Niederrhenish  painter,  called  the 
Meister  von  Frankfort  (active  1500-1520),  has  an 
altarpiece  with  wings,  whereof  the  centre  panel 
shows  the  Child  seated  on  a  bench  between  Mary 
and  Anna  (575),  which  with  its  pious  leaning  of 
the  former  century,  still  belongs  to  the  German 
Renaissance  for  its  free  and  colourful  treatment. 

Three  panels  in  one  frame  (61 9A)  come  from 
the  Meister  von  Messkirch  (active  1515-1550),  of 
the  school  of  Upper  Swabia,  a  pupil  of  Schaiifelein, 
whose  works  were  formerly  attributed  to  Bartel 
Beham.  Also  the  Meister  von  Cappenberg  (active 
1525-1550),  of  Westphalia,  is  worthily  shown  by 
a  panel  with  two  subjects  (1193),  on  the  left  the 
Annunciation,  and  on  the  right  the  Birth  of  Christ. 

We  have  now  returned  to  Room  67,  where  we 
still  find  among  the  Diirer  paintings  the  works  of 
the  last  great  artist  of  the  German  Renaissance, 


198      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

Hans  Holbein  the  Younger  (1497-1543).  While 
Diirer  was  a  draughtsman  foremost,  and  even 
when  he  painted  drew  with  the  brush,  Holbein  was 
a  colourist  par  excellence,  who  built  in  colour  as 
the  later  Florentines  did.  A  comparison  between 
Diirer's  Holzschuher  (Plate  XVH)  and  Holbein's 
masterpiece  "Portrait  of  Georg  Gisze "  (586. 
Plate  XXIV)  will  elucidate  this. 

Holbein  was  not  successful  while  at  home  in 
Augsburg,  nor  at  Basel  where  he  tried  his  fortune. 
But  in  1526  he  went  to  London  where  he  was  wel- 
comed by  the  German  merchants'  guild,  whose 
portraits  he  painted.  One  of  these  is  before  us, 
a  young  man,  seated  in  his  office,  surrounded  by 
all  its  paraphernalia.  A  magnificent  Venetian  glass 
vase  with  pinks  stands  on  the  table,  which  subtly 
indicates  that  Georg  Gisze  is  a  bridegroom.  The 
expression  of  his  face  is  earnest,  quiet,  not  medi- 
tative, but  that  of  a  practical  man  of  affairs. 
Notably  the  painting  of  the  details  is  wonderfully 
exact;  the  texture  of  the  costly  table-carpet,  the 
crinkly  silk  sleeves,  the  gold,  the  steel,  the  books, 
have  never  been  surpassed  by  the  greatest  stillife 
painters.  And  yet  they  do  not  in  the  least  detract 
from  the  personality  of  the  young  merchant.  They 
merely  explain  his  position  and  occupation.  It  is 
true  that  one  fault  may  be  found  with  the  work  — 
it   lacks   aerial   perspective.      The   body   of    Gisze 


HANS 

HOLBEIN 

THE  YOUNGER 


PORTRAIT  OF  GEORG  GISZE 
Plate   XXIV 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ube  German  painttngs  199 

seems  cramped  between  the  table  and  the  wall.  But 
this  may  easily  be  overlooked  in  the  magnificence 
of  the  whole,  which  raises  it  beyond  portraiture  to 
the  highest  expression  of  true  art. 

His  other  th^e  portraits,  one  of  an  elderly  man 
(586D),  and  two  of  young  men  (586B  and  C), 
are,  without  so  many  details,  equally  impressive 
for  their  fine  modelling,  the  sharp  and  masterful 
handling  of  the  expression,  the  grand  and  yet  quiet 
sweep  of  the  composing. 

Thus  we  have  seen  the  sprouting,  growth  and 
full  bloom  of  German  art,  which  never  attracts 
by  the  wealth,  opulence  and  grandeur  of  outward 
forms,  such  as  the  Italians  of  the  Renaissance  dis- 
play, but  which  impresses  us  with  the  naive  con- 
ception of  nature,  its  deep  religiosity,  and  its 
sincere  sentiments.  But  the  cancer  of  imitation, 
the  preference  of  foreign  art  above  native  talent, 
resulted  after  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth  century 
in  a  state  of  decadence,  finally  leaving  the  artfield 
fallow  and  barren  for  centuries  to  come. 

We  will  now  retrace  our  steps  through  the  first 
rooms  of  this  side  of  the  building,  and  enter  again 
Gallery  73  which  is  generally  used  for  loan  exhibi- 
tions. Recently  there  has  been  placed  there  the 
famous  waxbust  which  has  been  accredited  by 
Dr.  Bode  to  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  despite  many  pro- 
tests raised  by  English  critics  who  desire  the  work 


200     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  (Ballertes 

to  be  regarded  as  of  a  little-known  English  sculp- 
tor of  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  The  fact  that 
inside  the  bust  English  newspapers  of  that  time 
have  been  discovered  goes  for  naught,  for  these 
may  have  been  placed  there  by  a  restorer.  The 
general  appearance  of  the  bust,  its  Mona  Lisa 
smile,  its  mystic  beauty,  speak  well  for  Dr.  Bode's 
attribution. 

With  Cabinet  72  we  enter  upon  the  study  of  the 
Primitives  of  the  Netherlands,  both  of  Holland 
and  Flanders. 


CHAPTER   VII 

THE    DUTCH     AND     FLEMISH     PAINTINGS 

The  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum  is  of  great 
importance  for  the  study  of  the  Netherland 
schools  of  painting.  In  few  museums  as  com- 
plete an  array  of  the  various  painters  who  con- 
stituted those  schools  may  be  found.  Not  alone 
do  we  find  here  masterpieces  of  the  men  of  the 
first  rank,  but  those  of  lower  standing  are  as 
numerously  and  as  well  represented.  Most  of 
these  works  were  purchased  soon  after  the  found- 
ing of  the  museum,  principally  owing  to  Waagen's 
predilection  for  the  Netherland  schools. 

Although  in  an  historical-critical  sense  the 
Flemish  and  the  Dutch  schools  of  painting  are 
specifically  and  racially  distinct,  this  fact  is  often 
lost  sight  of,  and  thus  we  find  here  the  paintings 
of  the  Netherland  schools  more  or  less  mixed.  I 
have  endeavoured  in  arranging  the  order  of  our 
visit  to  the  various  rooms  to  restore  as  far  as 
possible  the  separate  consideration  of  the  two.  The 
Primitives  of  the  fifteenth  and  the  painters  of  the 


202     Ube  Htt  ot  tbe  3Berlin  Gallertes 

sixteenth  centuries,  however,  will  have  to  be  con- 
sidered together  since  their  works  are  found  pro- 
miscuously on  the  walls  of  the  first  four  rooms. 
It  will  be  possible  later  on  to  be  historically  more 
exact  by  following  the  order  as  indicated  on  the 
guide  printed  opposite  the  groundplan  of  this  floor 
(see  page  6). 

Room  72  —  The  St.  Bavon  Altarpiece  of  the 
Brothers  van  Eyck 

One  of  the  richest  treasures  of  the  Museum  is 
part  of  the  famous  altarpiece  painted  by  the 
brothers  Hubert  van  Eyck  (1370-1426)  and  Jan 
van  Eyck  (1390-1441),  on  the  order  of  the  Ghent 
patrician  Jodocus  Vyt  and  his  wife  Lysbet  Burlut, 
and  given  by  them  as  a  votive  offering  to  the 
St.  Bavon  Church  in  Ghent. 

This  altarpiece  was  begun  by  Hubert  van  Eyck 
about  1420,  who  left  it  unfinished  at  his  death  in 
1426.  In  1429  Jan  van  Eyck  continued  the  work 
which  he  completed  in  1432.  In  1559  King  Philip 
II  of  Spain  ordered  a  complete  copy  of  this  mag- 
nificent altar  made  by  Michiels  van  Coxie  (1497- 
1592),  which  was  exceedingly  successful,  but  never 
reached  Spain. 

The  original  work  was  for  centuries  in  Ghent, 
but  unfortunately  was  dismembered  when  in  1815 
six  of  the  eight  panels  that  composed  the  wings 


Ube  Dtttcb  anb  fflemisb  paintings  203 

were  sold  to  the  artdealer  Nieuwenhuis  of  Brussels 
for  3,000  guilders,  and  by  him  sold  to  the  English 
collector  Solly  for  100,000  francs,  or  40,000 
guilders.  With  the  Solly  collection  these  six  panels 
came  to  Berlin.  The  two  panels  with  the  nude 
figures  of  Adam  and  Eve,  being  deemed  unsuitable 
for  a  church,  had  for  many  years  been  concealed 
in  the  cellar  of  the  Ghent  cathedral,  but  are  now 
in  the  Brussels  Museum.  The  original  centrepiece 
remained  in  Ghent,  but  that  part  of  the  Coxie  copy 
was  acquired  by  Berlin  in  1823.  The  wings  of 
this  copy  are  to-day  in  the  Munich  Pinakothek  and 
in  Ghent.  The  outsides  of  the  original  wings  here 
have  been  sawed  from  the  insides  so  that  all  the 
paintings  are  hung  together  (512-525). 

When  the  wings  were  closed  the  altarpiece 
showed  in  the  upper  part  the  "  Annunciation  "  in 
two  paintings  (520,  521)  of  Gabriel  and  Mary. 
The  lower  parts  of  this  outside  showed  four  figures 
in  Gothic  niches,  in  the  centre  the  two  Johns  (518, 
523),  the  patron-saints  of  the  Ghent  church, 
painted  like  statues,  grey  on  grey;  and  flanked  on 
either  side  by  the  kneeling  figures  of  the  donors 
(519,  522). 

When  the  wings  were  opened  on  Sundays  and 
Feastdays  the  view  revealed  the  apocalyptic  scene 
of  the  "Adoration  of  the  Lamb"  (524),  which 
filled   the   entire   lower   part   of   the   centrepiece. 


204     XEbe  art  of  tbe  JSerlin  (Galleries 

Above  this,  in  the  middle  division,  was  the  God- 
father (525)  — both  are  here  the  Coxie  copies  of 
the  original  in  Ghent  —  on  the  left  is  Mary  (525D) 
and  to  the  right  John  the  Baptist  (525E)  —here 
the  work  of  Carl  Friedrich  Schulz,  of  Gelchow, 
who  copied  them  from  the  originals  in  Ghent  in 
1826.  A  Predella,  depicting  Purgatory,  was  below 
the  altarpiece,  but  has  long  since  been  lost. 

On  the  panels  of  the  shutters  in  the  upper  parts, 
relieved  against  backgrounds  of  blue  sky,  are  groups 
of  angels,  to  the  left  the  "  Singing  Angels  "  (514. 
Plate  XXV),  to  the  right  the  "  Angels  around  the 
Organ"  (515).  Alongside  of  these  panels  were 
the  nude  figures  of  Adam  and  Eve,  which  fail  here, 
the  originals  being  in  the  Brussels  Museum.  On 
the  lower  part  of  the  wings  are  two  panels  on  each 
wing.  On  the  left  wing  the  "  Just  Judges  "  (512) 
and  the  "  Champions  of  Christ "  (513),  and  on  the 
right  wing  the  "  Holy  Hermits  "  (516)  and  the 
"  Holy  Pilgrims  "  (517). 

The  conception  of  this  monumental  work  must 
be  ascribed  to  the  elder  van  Eyck,  who  also  painted 
the  large  figures  of  the  God-father,  of  Mary,  and 
of  John  the  Baptist  —  here  in  copies.  The  entire 
wings  —  here  in  the  original  —  and  the  Adoration 
of  the  Lamb  —  here  Coxie's  copy  —  were  from  the 
hand  of  Jan  van  Eyck. 

No  such  marvellous  painting  as  this  had  ever 


JAN 
VAN 
EYCK 


SINGING  ANGELS 
Plate   XXV 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


TLM  Dutcb  ant)  fflemisb  paintings   205 

before  been  seen  in  Flanders,  and  when  first  shown 
it  created  a  oro  found  sensation.  Crowds  flocked 
from  far  and  near  when  the  wings  of  the  great 
altarpiece  were  opened  to  see  its  beauties.  It  was 
the  first  important  oilpainting  ever  produced,  and 
its  authors  had  carried  this  new  method  at  a  bound 
to  the  highest  perfection  of  execution,  with  a 
complete  understanding  of  this  mechanical  medium 
to  acquire  the  purest  harmony  of  colour. 

But  it  went  further  in  its  revolutionary  power. 
Not  only  was  it  technically  the  high  standard  for 
the  new  method  of  painting,  its  spirit  was  new. 
The  van  Eycks  were  the  first  to  open  their  eyes  to 
the  full  reality  of  nature  and  human  life.  The 
feeling  of  nature  is  in  all  these  paintings  far  more 
developed  than  it  was  at  the  same  period  in  the 
south,  even  with  Gentile  da  Fabriano,  or  Masaccio. 
And  the  human  figures  are  given  with  an  expres- 
sion of  life,  of  vital  existence,  so  convincingly  and 
with  such  simple  means  that  each  is  surrounded  by 
a  nimbus  of  personal  distinction. 

The  main  thought  of  the  altarpiece  is  to  repre- 
sent the  deliverance  of  the  human  race  by  the 
sacrifice  of  the  Lamb.  On  the  outside  the  Annun- 
ciation foreshadows  the  approaching  deliverance, 
celebrated  by  the  Church  festival  within,  to  which 
knights  and  pilgrims  come.  In  a  green  and  charm- 
ing landscape  the  mystic  lamb,  whose  blood  streams 


2o6      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Oallettes 

from  its  breast  into  a  golden  chalice,  stands  upon 
an  altar  hung  with  red  damask,  its  top  covered 
with  a  white  cloth.  Adoring  angels  with  parti- 
coloured wings,  bearing  the  instruments  of  the 
Passion,  kneel  around  the  altar  in  a  flower-strewn 
meadow,  while  hosts  of  worshippers  —  martyrs, 
popes  and  bishops  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other  the 
virgin-saints  —  are  seen  advancing  through  a  ver- 
dant country.  In  the  foreground  of  the  scene  is 
the  fountain  of  living  waters,  around  which  are 
grouped  prophets  and  fathers  of  the  church,  to- 
gether with  poets  and  philosophers  gathered  from 
all  quarters  of  the  globe  to  do  honour  to  the  Lamb 
of  God. 

And  presiding  over  this  feast  of  sacrifice  the 
majestic  figure  of  God  the  Father,  somewhat  over 
life-size,  robed  in  red  and  crowned  with  a  triple 
tiara,  sits  enthroned.  With  Him  are  the  Virgin 
and  the  Herald. 

The  angels  of  the  heavenly  choirs  take  part  with 
deep  sounding  organ  tones  —  for  the  northerners 
were  far  advanced  in  church  music.  These  singing 
and  musical  angels  are  as  lifelike  as  human  beings. 
There  is  nothing  pointing  to  their  heavenly  origin. 
They  have  no  wings,  nor  are  they  wrapped  in  the 
ethereal  folds  imitated  from  the  antique.  They  are 
presented  merely  as  young  singers  and  musicians, 
dressed    in    the    magnificent   heavy   brocades    and 


Ubc  2)tttcb  an^  jflemtsb  patntings    207 

velvets  then  woven  on  the  looms  of  Bruges  and 
Ghent,  and  although  with  heavy  stiff  folds  still 
they  give  for  the  first  time  the  impression  that 
human  bodies  are  inside  these  garments. 

Indeed,  as  Sir  Joseph  Crowe  has  well  said,  "  the 
solemn  grandeur  of  church  art  in  the  fifteenth 
century  never  found  out  of  Italy  a  nobler  exponent 
than  Hubert  van  Eyck,  in  whose  great  altarpiece 
a  fine  display  of  realistic  truth  is  combined  with 
pure  drawing  and  gorgeous  colour,  and  there  is  a 
happy  union  of  earnestness  and  simplicity,  together 
with  the  deepest  religious  feeling/* 

Rooms  70,  68,  69  —  Netherland  Paintings  of 
THE  15th  and  16th  Centuries 

In  these  three  rooms  we  find  the  early  Nether- 
land paintings  displayed  which  we  will  consider  in 
a  more  or  less  historical  order.  Room  70  still 
contains  a  number  of  the  works  of  Jan  van  Eyck. 

Jan  van  Eyck  loved  sunshine,  joyousness  and 
the  spirit  that  bubbles  in  nature  and  in  man.  Only 
twice  did  he  paint  a  passion  scene.  One  of  these 
is  in  the  St.  Petersburg  Hermitage,  the  other  one 
is  here,  a  "Crucifixion"  (525F).  Suffering  and 
sorrow  are  here  so  strongly  shown  that  the  paint- 
ing was  first  accredited  to  a  Spaniard  of  the  end 
of  the  century.  Many  critics  hold  it  for  that 
reason  to  be  a  work  of  Hubert  van  Eyck.     Still 


2o8     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

the  beauty  of  the  landscape  and  the  charm  of  the 
figures  of  Mary  and  John  point  to  Jan,  although 
the  work  antedates  the  Ghent  altarpiece. 

The  ''Head  of  Christ"  (528)  is  a  full-face 
image  built  on  the  vera  icon,  the  so-called  authentic 
portrait  of  the  Saviour  which  was  frequently  copied 
in  the  Middle  Ages.  This  was  an  archaic-eut 
emerald,  wdiich  was  originally  in  possessio»  of  an 
early  emperor  in  Constantinople,  and  later  was 
given  by  Sultan  Bajazed  II  to  Pope  Innocent  VIII. 
The  immobility  and  severity  of  the  face  is  in- 
tensified by  the  minuteness  in  which  the  tiniest 
folds  and  ridges  in  the  lips  are  depicted. 

To  appreciate  Jan  van  Eyck  to  the  fullest  extent 
one  must  study  his  portraiture,  wherein  the  national 
distinction  between  Teutonic  and  Italian  art  is 
clearest  discernible.  In  Italian  portraits  the  men 
are  proud  and  self-conscious,  their  eyes  seem  to 
look  clear  and  steady  into  a  bright  world.  The 
women,  sometimes  with  a  slight  smile,  are  taken 
apparently  at  the  happiest  moment.  In  the  north 
on  the  contrary  there  is  not  a  vestige  of  sentiment, 
not  a  shimmer  of  ideality,  but  with  astounding  care 
the  human  being  is  presented  as  he  exists,  not  in  a 
particle  different  from  his  usual  appearance.  Every 
individual  particularity,  even  to  the  smallest 
wrinkles,  is  given  with  a  fidelity  that  equals  photo- 
graphic exactness.     This  clear  truthfulness  extends 


Zbc  Dtttcb  anb  iflemisb  paintings   209 

so  far  that  sometimes  we  note  the  drawn,  con- 
strained expression  of  a  person  who  has  long  been 
posing.  The  whole  object  of  the  portrait  was  to 
show  the  person  as  he  was  yesterday  and  to-day 
and  would  be  to-morrow,  in  sharpest  characteriza- 
tion of  drawing  and  colour,  and  with  the  exclusion 
of  every  stylistic  peculiarity. 

Jan  van  Eyck's  "Man  with  the  Pink''  (525A), 
indicating  that  he  is  a  bridegroom,  is  a  marvel  of 
natural,  almost  aggressive  truth,  the  highest  that 
exact  imitation  could  produce.  The  man  of  sixty 
looks  out  of  the  picture  with  a  sharp,  keen  glance. 
The  face  is  wonderful  in  the  exact  reproduction  of 
all  its  lineaments  and  irregularities,  even  the  out- 
standing ears  are  shown  without  any  esthetic  im- 
provement. The  hands  are  truly  too  small  in 
comparison  with  the  face,  but  still  perfect  in  draw- 
ing, the  muscle's  and  veins  clearly  indicated.  Also 
the  bust-portrait  of  Giovanni  Arnolfini  (523A), 
the  Italian  merchant  who  represented  in  Bruges  a 
mercantile  house  of  Luccha,  is  remarkable  for  the 
truth,  even  of  its  homeliness.  The  watery  blue, 
small  eyes,  peering  from  under  the  thin  eyelids 
over  a  long  arched  nose  give  an  expression  of  stupid 
simplicity,  until  the  fine  lines  around  the  mouth  and 
nose  reveal  a  character  of  breeding,  keen  calcula- 
tion and  subtle  strength.  Everything,  however,  is 
also  here  surpassed  by  the  painter's  quality  of  the 


210      Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  aalleries 

whole.  The  accent  of  characterization,  the  lumi- 
nosity of  the  flesh,  the  clear  and  transparent  skin 
that  even  in  the  shadows  reveals  itself  against  the 
glowing  red  of  the  headcloth,  and  the  fine  harmony 
of  these  colours  with  the  olive  green  of  the  dress, 
make  a  wonderful  combination.  Two  other  por- 
traits, one  of  Baldwin  de  Lannoy,  Knight  of  the 
Golden  Fleece  (525D),  the  other  a  full-face,  beard- 
less man  (523C)  with  a  fur-lined  coat,  are  of  equal 
importance. 

Besides  these  portraits  van  Eyck  painted  several 
small  Madonnas,  which  in  their  miniaturelike 
execution  are  little  jewels.  Also  here  we  find  the 
fundamental  .mark  of  the  change  in  sacred  figures 
to  the  fullest  reality.  Against  the  striving  of  the 
older  masters  to  make  their  saints  slender,  with 
gentle,  ethereal  features,  and  idealized  figures,  these 
Madonnas  are  homely  Netherland  women,  and  the 
child  is  a  puny,  miserable  wight.  But  while  van 
Eyck  deprives  these  personages  of  their  abstract 
purity  and  spiritual  heavenliness,  and  lets  them 
appear  like  common  clay,  he  makes  up  for  this  by 
making  them  the  centre,  or  rather  the  soul  of 
beautiful,  natural  surroundings. 

In  the  little  jewel  which  is  the  smallest  painting 
in  the  museum  is  shown  "  Mary  with  the  Child  and 
the  Carthusian"  (523B),  and  despite  its  minute- 
ness it  may  measure  in  largeness  of  conception  with 


Zbc  Dutcb  ant)  jflemisb  lC>alntina0  211 

the  amplest  creations.  In  an  open  hall,  through 
whose  arches  a  city  is  seen  with  a  watered  valley, 
and  wooded  hills  in  the  far  distance,  stands  the 
Madonna  with  the  nude  child  in  her  arms,  who 
extends  his  hands  in  blessing  over  a  kneeling 
Carthusian  monk.  St.  Barbara  presents  this  pro- 
tege. The  little  painting  is  wonderfully  preserved, 
and  the  colours  light  as  brilliantly  as  if  it  had  just 
left  the  master's  easel.  All  details  are  perfectly 
shown,  the  lace  on  the  baldacchino  over  the 
Madonna's  head,  the  people  on  the  marketplace  in 
the  distant  city  —  each  figure  there  may  be  seen  as 
in  life.  Even  the  single  trees  on  the  far-off  moun- 
tains may  be  discerned,  and  the  birds  high  in  the 
air  can  be  recognized  from  their  flight  and  shape  as 
wild  geese.  And  yet  this  painting,  only  ^J^  x  Syi 
inches,  with  all  this  execution  of  detail  which  makes 
us  wonder  with  what  kind  of  brushes  it  was  painted, 
is  by  no  means  small  and  puerile,  but  gives  as  large 
an  impression  as  an  altarpiece  by  the  luminosity 
which  surrounds  the  figures  with  an  intensity  which 
could  rouse  the  envy  of  modern  pleinairists. 

A  somewhat  larger  panel,  12  x  6,  as  marvellous 
in  its  effect,  is  the  "  Madonna  in  the  Church " 
(525C).  Here  the  Holy  Lady  stands  full-length 
in  a  magnificently  painted  cathedral  interior,  such 
as  the  greatest  architectural  painters  of  the  seven- 
teenth century  have  not  surpassed.     Her  head  with 


212     trbe  art  ot  tbe  Berlin  (Balleries 

its  golden  jewelled  crown  reaches  unto  the  rafters, 
and  is  wonderful  in  its  dignified  bearing  and  soulful 
features.  Through  the  church  windows,  partly 
with  white,  partly  with  stained  glass,  the  evening 
light  streams  with  magical,  poetic  effect,  never 
surpassed  by  the  greatest  chiaroscuro  painters  that 
came  later. 

The  influence  of  the  work  of  the  brothers  van 
Eyck  has  been  more  powerful  and  has  extended 
further  than  that  of  any  other  painter  who  ever 
lived.  Technically  they  revolutionized  the  manner 
of  painting,  and  their  method  of  oilpainting  was 
universally  adopted.  But  they  were  also  the  first 
to  introduce  humanism  into  the  subject  of  painting, 
and  Jan  was  the  first  to  give  landscape  its  true 
place  in  art.  Few  names  of  direct  pupils  in  their 
studio  are  known,  but  for  a  hundred  years  every 
painter  in  the  Netherlands,  in  Flanders  or  Holland, 
was  consciously  or  unconsciously  influenced  by  the 
work  the  van  Eycks  had  done,  although  many 
added  thereto  a  sturdy  independence  and  original 
invention. 

Petrus  Cristus  (1400-1472)  was  one  of  the 
earliest  of  these  followers,  although  he  only  partly 
understood  the  meaning  of  their  work.  His  "  Por- 
trait of  a  Girl"  (532)  is  interesting  in  the  light- 
effect  but  leaves  a  strange  impression  by  its  homely 
reahsm.     Her  hair  is  brushed  stiffly  from  her  fore- 


Cbe  Dutcb  ant)  jflemisb  ipaintings    213 

head  under  a  prodigiously  high  cap,  her  brown, 
Chinese-Hke  eyes,  the  visible  cheekbones,  lean  cheeks 
and  thin  lips,  her  narrow  shoulders  and  flat  breast, 
do  not  have  an  attractive  appearance,  while  the 
expression  of  the  face  mirrors  a  disgruntled  and 
self  willed  character.  In  two  religious  pictures  (in 
the  next  gallery,  68)  Petrus  strives  more  closely 
to  follow  the  example  of  van  Eyck;  one  of  these, 
the  "Last  Judgment"  (529B)  being  founded  on 
Jan  van  Eyck's  work  in  the  Hermitage.  The  other 
panel  (529A)  is  divided  in  two  parts,  the  upper 
showing  the  "  Annunciation,"  the  lower-half  the 
"  Birth  of  Christ."  In  these  works  also  we  find 
the  light-effect  the  best  factor,  while  the  figures 
are  but  weak,  stilted  imitations  of  the  Bruges  mas- 
ter. 

Rogier  van  der  Weyden  (1400-1464)  was  a 
stronger  man.  While  he  could  not  attain  to  van 
Eyck's  skill  of  painting,  nor  his  detail,  nor  his 
colour,  he  was  more  emotional  and  dramatic,  and 
carried  the  humanism,  the  democratic  feeling  in 
art  we  might  call  it,  much  farther.  The  Passion 
scenes  were  his  favourite  topics,  which  he  depicted 
for  the  common  people  with  force  and  pathos. 
In  the  next  gallery  (69)  we  find  his  famous 
"Johannes  Altarpiece  "  (534B),  showing  in  three 
panels  the  birth  of  John  the  Baptist  to  the  left,  in 
the  centre  John  baptizing  Christ,  and  to  the  right 


214      XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerltn  Oallcrtes 

the  beheading  of  John  (Plate  XXVI).  The  por- 
tals through  which  the  scenes  are  displayed  are 
decorated  with  the  statuettes  of  the  apostles.  The 
exaggeration  of  expression  truly  makes  the  scene 
drastic  and  convincing,  but  this  is  carried  on  also 
to  an  exaggeration  of  form  and  movement  which 
makes  the  drawing  knotty  and  stiff. 

Next  to  this  hangs  his  **  Mary  Altarpiece " 
(524A),  also  in  three  parts.  To  the  left  is  the  holy 
family,  where  Mary  worships  the  child  lying  on 
her  knees,  while  Joseph  sits  opposite  her  asleep. 
The  centrepiece  shows  the  lamentation  of  Christ, 
with  the  stark,  stiff  body  held  in  the  Mother's  lap. 
To  the  right  is  the  appearance  of  the  risen  Christ 
to  Mary.  All  these  scenes  are  placed  in  Gothic 
interiors,  showing  landscapes  in  the  background 
through  porticoes. 

Going  back  to  Room  68  we  view  Rogier's 
masterpiece,  the  so-called  "  Bladelin  Altar"  ^535)^ 
which  he  executed  in  the  fulness  of  his  power  after 
a  journey  to  Italy.  This  work  was  commissioned 
for  the  high-altar  of  the  church  of  Middelburg,  in 
Zeeland,  by  Peeter  Bladelin  who  from  an  ordinary 
burgher  had  become  the  treasurer  of  Philip  the 
Good,  Duke  of  Burgundy,  and  had  founded  that 
city.  The  centre  panel  shows  the  Adoration  of  the 
Child  by  the  donor.  The  Madonna  is  dressed  in 
white,   and  the  remarkably  small  child  lies   stark 


ROGIER 
VAN  DER 
WRY DEN 


BEHEADING  OF  JOHN  THE  BAPTIST 
Plate    XXVI 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Zbc  H)utcb  anb  jflemtsb  IPaintinas    215 

naked  on  a  whisp  of  straw  on  a  northern  winter 
night  in  a  ruined  cabin,  open  on  all  sides.  Joseph 
holds  a  small  candle,  but  golden  light  emanates 
from  the  body  of  the  child  and  the  head  of  Mary. 
By  contrast  with  this  lowHness  we  view  on  the 
right  wing  three  kings,  dressed  in  sumptuous 
splendour,  kneeling  in  an  Italian  landscape,  and 
looking  in  adoration  skyward  where  a  tiny  babe 
is  floating  on  a  cloud.  On  the  other  wing  we  find 
a  Flemish  interior  where  the  Sibyl  of  Tibur  shows 
to  the  Emperor  Augustus  the  vision  of  the  Madonna 
holding  the  Child  seated  on  a  balcony  outside  the 
casemated  window.  In  these  scenes  of  the  Holy 
Night  there  is  no  room  for  excitement  and  pathos, 
and  the  restraint  the  artist  put  on  himself  resulted 
more  agreeably  than  his  earlier  work.  His  weak- 
ness as  a  draughtsman  is  apparent  in  the  dispro- 
portion of  many  parts.  The  head  of  the  Madonna 
is  excessively  large  compared  with  the  rest  of  the 
body,  and  the  angels  worshipping  with  her  are 
diminutive  dwarfs  alongside  of  Bladelin.  All 
Rogier's  failings  and  excellences  are  also  found  in 
an  old  copy  (534)  of  his  "Descent  of  the  Cross,'* 
whereof  the  original  is  in  the  Escorial.  Returning 
to  Room  70  we  find  there  still  the  portrait  of  a 
young  woman  (545D),  the  portrait  of  Charles  the 
Bold,  Duke  of  Burgundy  (545),  and  a  half-figure 
of  the  Madonna  (549A)  — all  by  Rogier. 


2i6     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

The  art  of  the  unknown  Brabant  painter  who 
goes  by  the  name  of  the  Master  of  Flemalle  (active 
1430-1460),  but  who  has  been  lately  identified  as 
Jacques  Daret,  places  him  in  the  frontrank  among 
the  early  Flemings.  If  Jan  van  Eyck  was  a  realist 
and  charmed  the  eye  with  the  beauty  and  loveliness 
of  his  colours,  if  Rogier  van  der  Weyden  held  the 
hearts  of  the  people  with  his  pathos,  the  Flemalle 
Master  may  be  considered  as  the  Romanticist  who 
depicted  the  sacred  stories  with  noble  and  poetic 
feeling.  His  "Crucifixion"  (538A)  is  a  notable 
advance.  Dark-robed  angels  are  winging  through 
the  air  around  the  high  cross  on  which  the  body  of 
ivory  whiteness  hangs.  It  is  the  first  body  drawn 
with  an  aim  to  anatomical  exactness.  The  figures 
around  the  foot  of  the  cross  vary  in  giving  satis- 
faction. John's  expression  of  grief  by  putting  his 
fist  in  his  eyes  is  overdrawn,  and  the  posture  of 
Mary  Magdalene,  dressed  as  a  Saracen  woman 
with  a  large  white  turban,  who  twists  her  neck 
awkwardly  to  look  up  at  the  crucified  body,  is  far 
from  pleasing,  but  one  of  the  most  charming  of 
figures  thus  far  produced  is  that  of  a  young  girl, 
dressed  in  the  simple  gown  and  cloak  of  a  burgher- 
maid,  who  touches  Mary  with  deep  sympathy  and 
affection.  She  is  a  lovely  child  —  her  beautiful 
features,  so  expressive  of  love  and  woe,  are  finely 
framed  in  the  loose  folds  of  her  white  hood.    The 


XTbe  Butcb  anb  fflemisb  IpaintiuQB    217 

patient  care  bestowed  on  the  painting  of  the  hands, 
which  is  a  patent  mark  of  the  van  Eyck  school,  is 
also  here  prominently  noted. 

The  portrait  of  a  man  (537A),  with  a  beardless, 
fat  face  and  tousled  hair  against  a  white  back- 
ground, is  not  beautiful  to  look  at,  but  beautiful  in 
its  technique.  Another  portrait  (537),  of  a  young 
man,  is  more  attractive  but  not  so  strong  and 
expressive. 

There  has  recently  been  added  a  small  triptych 
(not  yet  catalogued)  attributed  to  the  Master  of 
Bruges  who  painted  about  1475.  It  shows  a  monk 
under  the  cross,  who  receives  the  crown  of  life 
while  a  satyr  mocks  him.  Saints  and  donors  are 
pictured  on  the  sidewings. 

A  still  further  advance  is  seen  in  the  work  of 
Hans  MemHnc  (1425-1495).  Therein  we  note  the 
sincerity,  the  purity  of  the  man ;  there  is  tenderness 
in  his  pathos,  and  an  echo  of  the  ecstatic  feeling  of 
the  Madonnas  of  the  Middle  Ages.  We  need  but 
compare  the  half-figure  of  the  Madonna  by  Rogier 
van  der  Weyden,  in  which  the  features  are  earnest, 
even  hard  and  stern,  with  Memlinc's  "  Madonna 
with  the  Child"  (528B)  which  hangs  next  to  it. 
Here,  with  the  same  type  of  face,  we  find  greater 
gentleness  and  charm.  The  same  refers  to  his 
"Madonna  Enthroned"  (529)  of  beautiful  colour 
and  attractive  landscape  setting.    In  his  portraiture 


2i8     Ube  Ert  ot  tbe  JSetltn  Galleries 

he  was  exceedingly  strong  in  characterization,  with 
excellent  flesh-painting,  even  seen  in  an  early  work, 
the  portrait  of  an  old  man  (529C).  But  Memlinc 
can  only  be  fully  appreciated  in  Bruges  where  his 
masterwork,  the  Florein  altarpiece,  hangs  in  the 
St.  John's  Hospital. 

Contemporary  with  these  men,  in  the  early  part 
and  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  there  were  also 
in  the  north,  in  Holland,  several  painters  at  work 
in  whom  we  recognize  the  van  Eyck  foundation, 
but  also  the  diverging  tendency  which  later  widened 
and  separated  the  Dutch  from  the  Flemish  school. 
For  the  Flemish  school  gradually  became  more  bold 
and  florid,  while  the  Dutch  school  remained  sincere 
and  serene. 

The  earliest  known  painter  in  the  north  was 
Albert  van  Ouwater  (active  1430-1460),  of 
Haarlem,  who  is  mentioned  in  old  records  as  a 
great  "  landscape  painter,"  but  of  whom  only  one 
example  is  known  to  exist,  which  is  found  here, 
and  that  a  church  interior  with  the  "  Raising  of 
Lazarus"  (532A).  While  the  Italians  always 
present  this  scene  as  taking  place  in  the  open 
country  with  a  rock  tomb,  here  Lazarus  had  been 
buried  in  the  Choir  of  a  church,  as  was  customary 
in  Holland.  The  broken  floorslab  shows  the  open 
grave  whence  Lazarus  arises  at  the  command  of 
Jesus  who  is  surrounded  by  His  disciples.    Opposite 


DIRK 
BOUTS 


PASCHAL  FEAST 
Plate  XXVII 


Kaiser  Fried  rich 
Museum 


Ube  Dutcb  auD  iflemi^b  patntinas   219 

Him,  at  the  other  side  of  the  grave,  stand  the 
antagonists,  richly  dressed  Pharisees,  whom  Peter, 
standing  between  the  groups,  seeks  to  persuade  to 
believe  what  their  eyes  have  seen.  The  Choir  is 
surrounded  by  a  solid  partition  reaching  half-way 
up  the  columns  between  which  it  is  built,  leaving 
a  perspective  view  of  the  arches  and  windows  of 
the  church  behind.  Through  the  grated  door  of 
this  partition  the  crowding  heads  of  a  multitude 
are  seen,  pressing  against  the  bars  to  view  the 
miracle.  This  painting,  so  beautiful  for  its  colour, 
light-effect  and  expressive  drawing,  was  taken  by 
the  Spaniards  at  the  sacking  of  Haarlem  in  1573, 
and  sent  to  Spain. 

Another  Haarlem  painter,  who  received  his  first 
instruction  from  Ouwater,  was  Dirk  Bouts  (1410- 
1475),  who  settled  in  Louvain  in  Brabant  when 
about  forty  years  old,  where  Rogier  van  der 
Weyden  had  some  influence  on  his  work.  His 
masterpiece  was  an  altarwork  which  he  made  for 
the  Peter's  church  in  Louvain,  where  the  central 
portion,  showing  the  Lord's  Supper,  is  still  found. 
Two  of  the  wings  are  at  present  in  Munich,  and 
the  other  two  are  here  in  Berlin.  These  represent 
the  antetypes  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  feeding  of 
the  people  of  Israel :  "  Elijah  fed  in  the  Desert " 
(533),  and  the  "Paschal  Feast"  (539.  Plate 
XXVII).     This  one  shows  six  persons  standing 


220     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerltn  (Ballertea 

around  a  table,  ready  for  the  journey  as  was  the 
Mosaic  behest,  to  eat  the  Paschal  lamb.  It  is  a 
plain  Dutch  interior  with  coloured  tile  floor. 
Alongside  of  Bouts'  strong  palette,  the  colours  of 
Rogier  van  der  Weyden  seem  flowery  and  sweet. 
The  landscape  in  the  "  Elijah "  panel  is  quietly 
impressive,  although  the  figures  are  rather  stiff. 
Two  Madonnas  (545B.  C.)  are  later  works,  and 
more  in  the  Flemish  style. 

Another  pupil  of  Ouwater  was  Geertgen  van  St. 
Jans  (1465-1493)  who  died  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
eight.  This  Leyden  artist  has  an  individual  place 
as  a  landscape  painter.  His  "  John  the  Baptist  '* 
(1631)  is  placed  in  a  fine  hilly  park  of  soft  green 
verdure,  with  many  animals  roaming  about.  A 
recently  acquired  and  not  catalogued  "  Mary  with 
the  Child,  and  St.  Michael  with  the  Donor  "  is  by 
a  pupil  of  Geertgen  van  St.  Jans. 

An  unknown  painter  whose  work  has  been  found 
in  various  places  in  Flanders,  which  all  point  to  the 
Bouts  influence,  has  been  st3ded  the  Master  of  the 
Ascension  of  Mary  (active  before  1470).  Lately 
he  has  been  identified  with  Dirk's  son,  Aelbert 
Bouts.  His  "Annunciation  "  (530.  Plate  XXYHI) 
shows  him  to  have  been  more  Flemish  than  his 
father,  the  types  of  the  faces  are  more  heavy,  and 
the  interior  more  ornate  than  we  see  it  in  the  latter's 
work.     A  comparison  of  the  two  plates  may  well 


AELBERT 
BOUTS 


ANNUNCIATION 
Plate  XXVIII 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ubc  Dutcb  an^  fflemisb  painttUGs   221 

help  to  note  the  distinction  between  the  northern 
and  southern  schools. 

Before  we  continue  with  the  early  Dutchmen  in 
the  next  gallery,  we  note  that  three  panels  by 
French  Primitives  have  also  found  a  place  in  Room 
70.  Two  of  these  are  wings  of  a  reHquary  from 
the  cloister  of  St.  Omer,  by  Simon  Marmion,  a 
miniature  painter  of  the  end  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury, who  depicts  here  with  great  delicacy  the 
legend  of  St.  Bertin  (1645)  in  ten  scenes,  like  book 
illuminations.  The  third  picture  is  by  Jean  Fouquet 
(1415-1480),  who  also  commenced  as  a  book  illus- 
trator, and  whose  "  Book  of  Hours  "  in  the  Chan- 
tilly  Museum  is  famous.  He  was  the  principal 
French  portrait  painter  of  the  fifteenth  century 
and  a  protege  of  the  Treasurer  Estienne  Chevalier, 
the  favourite  of  Agnes  Sorel.  Fouquet  painted 
Estienne  on  a  votive  panel  (1617),  being  presented 
by  his  patron-saint  St.  Stephen.  This  portrait 
would  look  better  were  it  not  surrounded  on  the 
wall  by  the  more  serious  and  thorough  work  of  the 
northern  men.  By  comparison  the  Frenchman's 
work  is  flat,  and  its  beauty  has  only  a  decorative 
quality. 

In  the  next  room,  68,  we  continue  with  some 
early  Duitchmen  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The 
original  Hieronymus  Bosch  (1460-1516),  who 
hailed  from  North  Brabant,  has  here  a  panel  "  John 


222      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

on  Patmos "  (i647A)  which  bears  only  a  few- 
marks  of  his  fantastic  imagery  —  a  queer  freaky 
creation  is  seen  in  the  corner.  It  bears,  however, 
full  evidence  of  his  fine,  rich  sense  of  colour,  the 
delicate  pink  of  the  seer's  mantle,  and  the  blue  of 
the  angel's  robe,  as  well  as  his  refreshing  landscape 
vision. 

The  most  famous  of  the  North  Netherlander s 
was  the  renowned  etcher  and  wood  engraver  Lucas 
van  Leyden  (1494-1533).  Dying  young  he  still 
has  taken  a  prominent  place  with  the  few  paintings 
which  he  has  left.  Three  of  these  are  found  here. 
With  him  realism,  which  for  so  long  had  pushed 
itself  forward,  at  last  assumes  full  control  of  the 
art  of  the  century.  His  St.  Jerome  doing  penance 
in  the  desert,  before  a  crucifix  fastened  to  a  tree 
(584A),  as  well  as  the  Madonna  with  the  Child 
(584B),  excel  in  pure  drawing  and  luminous 
colours.  His  "Chess  party"  (574A)  is  one  of 
the  first  examples  of  the  social  genre  of  which  the 
next  century  was  to  produce  so  many  masterpieces. 
No  less  than  ten  spectators  are  gathered  around  the 
two  players,  and  they  furnish  a  wonderful  tableau 
of  physiognomic  variety. 

Jacob  Corneliszoon  van  Oostsanen  (1470-1533) 
has  formerly  been  known  only  as  a  wood  engraver, 
but  a  few  of  his  paintings  have  lately  been  dis- 
covered.     A    small    altarpiece     (607)     with    the 


MA ARTE N 

VAN 

HEEMSKERK 


PORTRAIT  OF  A  GIRL 
Plate  XXIX 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ubc  Dutcb  anD  if  lemtsb  IPainttnas    223 

Madonna  and  Child,  sitting  behind  a  stone  breast- 
work over  which  an  Oriental  carpet  is  thrown,  in 
the  middle  panel,  and  on  the  wings  the  donors  with 
their  patron-saints,  reveals  a  strong  Renaissance 
influence  in  its  architectonic  setting.  The  landscape 
on  the  middle  panel  is  beautifully  carried  out  with 
a  number  of  small,  naive  genre  figures. 

True  portrait  painting  was  as  germane  in  the 
north  as  it  was  in  the  south,  and  Jan  van  Scorel 
(1495-1562),  who  had  a  school  in  Utrecht,  was 
one  of  the  leaders.  His  training  had  been  received 
on  his  wide  travels  and  during  his  residence  in 
Rome  as  court-painter  to  the  Holland-born  Pope, 
Hadrian  VI.  The  Italian  influence  which  emanated 
from  him  did  not,  however,  find  as  ready  soil  as 
it  did  in  Flanders  during  the  sixteenth  century, 
causing  the  school  there  to  decay  until  revived  by 
Rubens.  Scorel's  portrait  of  Cornelis  van  der 
Dussen  (644),  the  secretary  of  the  city  of  Delft, 
and  that  of  a  lady  (1202),  are  simple  and  energetic, 
of  clear  colour  and  firm  modelling. 

A  still  better  work  is  by  Maarten  van  Heemskerk 
(1498-1574)  whose  "Portrait  of  a  Girl"  (570. 
Plate  XXIX)  is  a  typical  example  of  the  portraiture 
of  the  period.  It  is  done  with  a  slight,  smooth 
brush,  no  detail  slighted,  and  wonderfully  lifelike. 
In  his  genre,  notably  mythological  subjects,  he 
followed  more  closely  the  Italian  style,  as  seen  in 


224      XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerltn  Galleries 

a  large  panel  that  relates  the  myth  of  Momus 
(655),  the  god  of  faultfinding,  who  picks  flaws  in 
everything  the  other  gods  have  done,  cavilling  at 
women,  the  creation  of  Vulcan,  because  they  do 
not  have  a  window  in  their  breast  so  that  one  might 
examine  their  inner  being ;  at  the  horses  of  Neptune 
because  they  have  to  kick  with  their  hind  heels 
without  seeing  their  enemy,  and  so  on. 

Antonis  Mor  (1512-1578),  of  Utrecht,  became 
famous  because  of  his  travels  to  England  and  Spain, 
where  he  was  extensively  employed.  The  double- 
portrait  of  the  Utrecht  Domheeren  van  Horn  and 
Taets  (585A),  seen  in  half-length,  is  a  fine  group 
of  manly  men,  effectively  dressed  in  the  white  garb 
of  their  order. 

A  small  genre  by  Jan  van  Hemessen  ( 1494-1560) 
is  one  of  the  most  charming  productions  in  this 
room.  The  artist  came  from  near  Antwerp,  but 
died  in  Haarlem.  His  "Gold-weigher"  (656A) 
shows  a  lovely  young  girl  in  a  luxurious  velvet 
dress,  seated  at  a  table  and  weighing  gold  coins;  a 
magnificent  golden  goblet  stands  near  her  delicately 
formed  hand. 

We  will  now  enter  Gallery  69  to  return  to  the 
Flemish  painters.  The  earliest  one  here  still  belongs 
to  the  previous  century.  Hugo  van  der  Goes  (1430- 
1482)  is  best  known  for  his  large  Portinari  altar- 
piece  in  the  Uffizi,  a  painting  which  next  to  Velas- 


Ubc  Dutcb  anb  jflemtsb  paintfnos    225 

quez'  Pope  Innocent  in  Rome  has  been  called  the 
finest  in  Italy.  It  certainly  places  him  next  to  the 
van  Eycks  as  the  greatest  artist  of  the  Flemish 
school.  He  advanced  on  the  van  Eycks  in  revealing 
new  and  greater  wonders  in  colouring;  and  further, 
his  figures  are  even  more  like  human  beings  than 
the  types  which  the  van  Eycks  painted.  His 
"Adoration  of  the  Shepherds"  (1622A),  a  pre- 
della  of  a  lost  altarpiece,  excels  in  the  contrast 
between  the  quiet  worship  of  the  parents  and  angels 
and  the  animated  enthusiasm  of  the  shepherds,  yet 
all  so  full  of  character.  A  newly  acquired  panel 
IS  a  composite  work  of  van  der  Goes  and  Dirk 
Bouts,  and  depicts  the  Preaching  of  John  the  Bap- 
tist, who  points  out  the  Nazarene  walking  at  the 
other  side  of  a  narrow  stream. 

Gerard  David  (1450-1523)  was  a  pupil  of  Hans 
Memlinc,  and  in  his  early  work  almost  as  attractive 
as  his  master.  In  his  later  years  he  lost  much  of 
his  charm,  as  may  be  seen  in  his  "  Crucifixion  " 
(573).  The  composition  is  very  formal  and  rigid. 
The  sky  is  ashy  grey,  the  foreground  cold  green, 
and  the  far-away  hills  intense  blue,  the  fleshtones 
are  smooth  as  enamel,  and  in  the  garments  blue 
and  violet,  purple  and  yellow  are  mixed  —  truly 
not  a  quiet,  harmonious  colour  combination. 

The  Antwerp  painter  Quentin  Massys  (1460- 
1530)    may  be   regarded   as  a  transition  painter. 


226     XTbe  Htt  ot  tbe  JSerltn  Galleries 

With  him  the  early  Flemish  tendencies  have  come 
to  full  fruition.  The  genre  and  landscape  parts 
are  now  of  equal  importance  to  the  figures,  but  in 
religious  works  the  figures  assume  greater  force, 
and  express  the  mobility  of  the  members,  the  nature 
and  character  of  each  personage  becomes  now  the 
artist's  principal  aim.  Massys  added  thereto  archi- 
tectural backgrounds,  and  from  this  Italian  example 
other  peculiarities  of  Italian  painting  spread,  until 
the  indigenous  Flemish  art  became  a  thing  of  the 
past.  As  an  example  we  see  "  Mary  with  the 
Child  "  (561.  Plate  XXX).  As  the  Mother  kisses 
her  Child  on  the  lips,  her  eyes  are  sunk  into  his, 
her  whole  body  and  soul  closes  over  the  child,  there 
is  human  feeling  displayed,  real  mother-love.  At 
the  same  time  there  is  a  curious  mingling  of  Italian 
elaborateness  in  the  splendid  throne,  and  genuine 
Flemish  feeling  in  the  stillife  on  the  table  before 
the  group,  the  round  loaf  of  bread  and  platter  with 
butter.  His  "Weeping  Magdalene"  (574C)  is 
even  more  expressive  in  the  heartbreaking  sorrow 
of  the  penitent.  A  "St.  Jerome"  (574B)  is  by 
his  pupil  Marinus  van  Roymerswaele  (active  1521- 
1538),  although  formerly  given  to  Massys.  It  is 
still  more  Italian  in  its  concentration  of  light, 
contrasting  with  Flemish  diffusa* or  of  light. 

The  most   distinguished   landscape  painter  was 
Joachim    Patinir    (active   1515-1524),    in    whose 


QUENTIN 
MASSY  S 


MARY  WITH  THE  CHILD 
Plate  XXX 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Uhc  Dutcb  ant)  iflcmisb  iPatnttrtQS    227 

"  Rest  on  the  Flight  to  Egypt "  (608)  the  figures 
take  but  a  secondary  place,  the  sweeping  landscape 
being  his  main  object.  Still  the  human  interest  is 
well  cared  for.  Joseph  is  coming  with  a  donkey 
from  a  populous  hamlet,  and  in  another  village  in 
the  middle  distance  the  slaughter  of  the  innocents 
is  shown. 

The  last  of  these  Flemings,  who  by  study  with 
Leonardo  da  Vinci  had  become  thoroughly  Italian- 
ized, was  Jan  Gossaert,  called  Mabuse  (1470-1541). 
His  "Christ  on  the  Mount  of  Olives"  (551A)  is 
very  naturalistic,  with  a  scattered,  strong  light- 
effect  that  picks  out  the  faces,  tree-tops  and  a  float- 
ing angel  in  a  confusing  manner.  Also  the  "  Mary 
with  the  Child  "  (650) ;  and  two  nude  paintings, 
"Neptune  and  Amphitrite "  (648)  and  "Adam 
and  Eve  in  Paradise"  (661),  savour  more  of  the 
south  than  of  the  north.  His  "  Portrait  of  a 
Man"  (586A)  is  a  serious  and  dignified  docu- 
ment. 

Passing  from  this  room  through  Cabinet  65  we 
enter  Room  62. 

Rooms  62,  63,  60  —  Rubens,  and  Flemish 
Paintings  of  the  17th  Century 

The  principal  works  in  Room  62,  which  is 
furnished  with  old  Flemish  furniture,  will  prepare 
us  for  the  large  Rubens  Gallery  which  will  follow. 


228     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  GMcxice 

A  few  paintings  by  Rubens  are  already  found  here, 
but  some  by  other  men  must  first  be  noted. 

Flemish  art  had  towards  the  middle  of  the 
sixteenth  century  become  Italianized  and  had  lost 
its  racial  characteristics,  but  towards  the  end  of 
the  century  a  revival  took  place  whereby  landscape 
and  figures,  especially  of  genre,  were  more  racy 
of  the  soil.  The  Prankish  strain  in  the  blood  of 
the  populace  of  the  South  Netherlands,  however, 
always  asserted  itself  —  it  is  very  evident  in 
Rubens.  Finally  it  caused  the  death  of  Flemish 
art,  soon  after  the  powerful  personality  of  Rubens 
had  been  forgotten. 

One  of  the  first  men  to  reassert  independence 
was  Paul  Bril  (1554-1626),  who  went  to  Italy  but 
instead  of  following  the  methods  taught  there, 
taught  Italians  his  own  views  of  landscape  painting. 
His  "  Mountain-goat  Hunt  "  (714)  shows  a  high, 
majestic  rock-wall  over  which  hunted  and  hunters 
are  passing. 

Only  one  member  of  the  Breughel  family  is 
represented  here,  Jan  Breughel  the  Plder,  called 
Velvet  Breughel  (1568-1625),  by  whom  we  find 
five  examples.  His  technique  is  indicated  by  his 
name,  and  especially  the  "  Vulcan's  Smithy  "  (678) 
is  a  marvel  of  smooth,  minute  painting  of  detail. 
Thousands  of  pieces  of  armour  and  costly  objects 
lie  around  in  the  cave,  while  Vulcan  is  awaiting  the 


TLbc  Butcb  an^  if  lemtsb  paintings    229 

visit  of  Venus.  These  are  painted  with  every  nail 
and  buckle  and  clasp  showing.  Just  as  tantalizing 
in  its  minutiae  of  animal  and  plant  life  is  his 
"Paradise"  (742). 

A  large  double-portrait  by  Cornelis  de  Vos 
(1585-1651)  is  a  magnificent  group  of  a  married 
couple,  seated  on  a  terrace  of  their  park,  dressed 
in  rich,  patrician  garments.  It  is  a  dignified  pre- 
sentment, elaborate  in  its  details  of  an  abundance 
of  lace  adornment. 

But  the  great  master,  Peeter  Paul  Rubens  (1577- 
1640)  greets  us  here.  In  this  and  in  the  large 
Rubens  Gallery  63  and  in  Cabinet  60  there  are 
twenty-three  of  his  works  exhibited,  truly  not  a 
large  number  since  the  Munich  Gallery  has  about 
eighty  of  his  paintings,  the  Prado  over  sixty,  and 
Vienna,  the  Louvre  and  the  Hermitage  each  about 
fifty.  Still  the  Berlin  collection  shows  the  master 
as  completely  in  the  various  expressions  of  his 
genius  as  the  Museums  mentioned. 

Rubens  found  in  Italy  his  artistic  training  — 
Michelangelo's  mighty  forms,  Titian's  brilliant 
colour-glow,  Veronese's  grand  composition  were 
amalgamated  in  him  with  Flemish  humanism,  often 
with  broadness  of  meaning,  and  entirely  lacking  in 
subtlety.  This  is  his  weakness.  There  is  nothing 
suggested  in  his  work.  With  a  loud  blare  of 
trumpets  he  marshals  before  us  opulence  of  form, 


230     Xlbe  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

unrestrained  action,  mighty  contrasts  of  passions, 
sensuous  abandon.  But  he  does  this  with  such 
masterful  power,  such  marvellous  perfection  of 
execution,  such  incisive  hypnotism,  that  places  him 
among  the  most  exalted  masters.  Gorgeous  shapes 
throng  around  his  pencil  numberless,  startling  us 
by  the  novel  accidents  of  form  and  colour,  putting 
the  spirit  of  motion  into  the  universe,  and  weaving 
all  nature  into  a  gay,  fantastic  Bacchanalian  dance. 

In  this  first  room  devoted  to  his  work  we  find  a 
sketch  for  a  mythological  composition,  "  Shipwreck 
of  Aeneas"  (776E),  which  need  not  occupy  us 
long.  The  small  "  Perseus  delivers  Andromeda  " 
(785)  glows  with  the  ardour  of  the  hero  as  he 
unfastens  the  chains.  An  example  of  his  historical 
painting  is  his  "  Capture  of  Tunis  by  Emperor 
Charles  V"  (798G).  It  is  an  interesting  work 
because  only  half -finished,  showing  the  broad, 
sweeping  brown  lines  of  first  drawing,  and  in  the 
middle  foreground  the  completed  group  with  all 
its  colourful  pomp. 

Two  portraits  by  Rubens  are  also  in  this  room. 
The  portrait  of  Isabella  Brant  (762A),  the  master's 
first  wife,  in  the  sumptuous  garments  wherewith 
the  artist  always  bedecked  her,  while  he  generally 
reveals  to  us  the  voluptuous  beauty  of  his  second 
wife,  Helena  Fourment,  with  little  or  no  drapery. 
The  other  portrait  is  of  his  own  child,  his  second 


i 

i^^am 

kife#  *               ' 

^>  ^^  SE^^^pP^^^^^^^^^B 

p'^ 

^1 

i* 

^^H^^^HI^^I^^^^H^^^^    '\     ' 

aT      , 

■••    -    r-     \                        II 

PEETER 

PAUL 

RUBENS 


PORTRAIT  OF  A  CHILD  OF  THE  MASTER 
Plate  XXXI 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


XTbe  Dutcb  ant)  fflemisb  IPaintfnQs    231 

boy  {76Z,  Plate  XXXI),  a  perfect  presentment  of 
the  charm  and  innocence  of  childhood. 

On  entering  the  gorgeous  Rubens  Honour-gallery 
63  we  view  on  the  wall  between  the  doors  the 
colossal  "Conversion  of  Paul"  (762B).  This  is 
one  of  the  most  energetic  of  the  master's  religious 
compositions.  A  company  of  ten  people,  four  of 
them  mounted,  are  suddenly  thrown  into  the  direst 
confusion  by  the  appearance  of  the  figure  of  Christ 
in  the  sky,  bursting  from  a  blinding  light,  and  the 
man  who  was  to  become  the  first  missionary  of  the 
Christians  lies  prone  on  the  ground,  stricken  and 
called. 

The  "Raising  of  Lazarus"  (783)  is  beautiful 
in  its  luxurious  colour  and  animated  figures,  al- 
though the  master's  volubility,  as  we  might  call  it, 
comes  out  in  the  figure  of  Lazarus,  which  stepping 
out  of  the  grave  is  the  most  robust  of  all.  An  early 
work,  of  1614,  is  the  "St.  Sebastian"  (798H),  a 
vigorous  youth  tied  to  a  tree,  and  a  fine  anatomical 
study.  The  "St.  Caecilia  "  (781)  is  one  of  his 
latest  works,  dating  from  his  death  year,  1640.  In 
it  the  features  of  his  wife,  Helene  Fourment,  are 
seen.  She  is  seated,  richly  dressed  in  yellow  silk, 
at  a  small  organ,  surrounded  by  putti.  Her  dainty 
fingers  float  over  the  keys  as  she  is  joyously  looking 
upward.  There  is  nothing  mystic  or  ecstatic  about 
this  work,  as  in  Raphael's  St.  Caecilia.     Rubens 


232      Zbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

was  not  a  philosopher,  nor  spiritually  minded.  He 
shows  the  real  transport  of  music,  which  sounds 
even  in  the  green  and  orange-tones  in  luscious 
harmony. 

In  the  Rubens  Cabinet  60  we  find  a  sketch  of 
his  large  altarpiece  of  the  Augustine  Church  of 
Antwerp,  "  Mary  with  the  Child  and  Saints  "  (780) 
which  is  as  splendid  in  its  composition  as  any  of  the 
large  frescoes  of  Paolo  Veronese.  A  fine  "  Pieta  " 
(798K)  is  also  found  here. 

A  class  of  subjects  in  which  Rubens  has  never 
been  surpassed  are  his  Bacchanalian  scenes.  There 
the  unbridled  passionate  fibre  of  the  artist's  nature 
breaks  forth  in  a  sensuousness  that  often  verges  on 
sensuality.  The  most  famous  is  the  "  Bacchanal " 
(776B,  on  the  rear  wall  of  Room  63),  a  scene  of 
revelry  and  riot  where  drunken  Silenus  lurches 
forward  in  vinous  stupor,  supported  by  satyrs  and 
accompanied  by  Bacchantes,  wantonly  leaping  and 
beating  on  the  tambourine.  Nude  children  scat- 
tering flowers  complete  a  scene  of  careless,  aban- 
doned animalism,  designed  only  to  show  contrasts 
of  colour  in  the  light-reflections  on  dark  and  white 
flesh.  On  a  par  with  this  Silenus  wassail  is  the 
"  Diana  with  Nymphs,  surprised  by  Satyrs " 
(762C),  somewhat  more  quiet  in  movement  but 
even  more  characteristic  In  sensuous  action. 

Naturally  the  antique  sagas  of  heroes,  gods  and 


Ube  Dutcb  anb  fflemisb  paintings  233 

goddesses  furnished  abundant  subjects  for  our 
prolific  painter,  on  which  he  could  lavish  all  the 
wealth  of  his  coloursense,  and  fairly  revel  in  volup- 
tuous forms.  Of  such  we  find  here  "  Neptune  and 
Amphitrite"  (776A),  "Mars  with  Venus  and 
Amour"  (798B),  "  Fortuna  "  (798C),  "  Androm- 
eda "  (776C),  and  "Diana's  Deerhunt "  (774). 
A  "  Landscape  at  Sunset  "  (776D)  shows  his  broad 
treatment  of  the  subject  in  distinction  of  the  minute 
work  of  the  earlier  men. 

A  replica  of  an  original  in  the  Vienna  Gallery, 
a  group  of  four  children,  representing  the  Christ- 
child,  John,  a  little  girl  babe  as  the  Church,  and  a 
Cupid  (779),  is  one  of  many  repetitions  Rubens 
or  his  pupils  have  painted  of  this  subject,  which 
are  scattered  among  various  collections. 

Of  the  large  number  of  pupils  who  hailed  from 
the  Rubens  studio  only  two  are  represented  here, 
Anton  van  Dyck  (1599-1641)  and  Cornelis  de  Vos. 
Of  van  Dyck  the  Museum  shows  seventeen  ex- 
amples, six  portraits,  two  mythological  and  nine 
religious  pieces,  among  which  the  "  Crowning  with 
Thorns"  (770).  This  dates  from  his  first  period 
and  shows  the  powerful  influence  of  the  greater 
master.  Also  the  "  Two  Johns  "  (799)  is  an  early 
work  in  the  style  of  Rubens.  Two  portraits,  a 
Genoese  nobleman  and  his  wife  (782B  and  C), 
are  of  van  Dyck's   Italian  period,   and  have  the 


234       Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

cachet  of  Titian  imprinted.  In  the  cabinet  we  find 
the  portrait  of  Thomas  Frangois  de  Carignan, 
Prince  of  Savoy,  which  is  of  the  same  time.  The 
portrait  of  this  Prince  in  Windsor  Castle  is  far 
superior.  None  of  these  works  bear  any  evidence 
of  the  refinement  which  later  characterized  van 
Dyck. 

By  Cornelis  de  Vos  is  that  one  of  the  most 
charming  of  all  children's  paintings,  the  "  Daugh- 
ters of  the  Artist  "  (832.  Plate  XXXII).  They  are 
seated  on  the  ground,  in  their  best  Sunday  "  bib 
and  tucker,"  and  look  so  ingenuously  at  the  specta- 
tor that  it  is  no  wonder  to  be  one  of  the  most  pop- 
ular paintings  in  the  Museum.  De  Vos  was  a 
strong,  individual  artist  of  personal  expression. 

We  shall  find  some  further  Flemish  paintings 
in  the  last  gallery  (51),  but  now  turn  again  to  the 
Dutch  school. 

Rooms  59,  58  —  Frans  Hals,  and  Dutch  Paint- 
ings OF  THE  17th  Century 

From  the  first  there  had  been  a  distinction 
between  Dutch  and  Flemish  art,  owing  to  the 
diflFerent  racial  characteristics  of  the  two  peoples. 
The  political  union  between  the  north  and  south 
provinces  up  to  the  time  of  the  abdication  of 
Emperor  Charles  V  had  been  merely  one  of  being 
under  the  same  ruler,  but  did  not  establish  any 


XTbe  H)utcb  ant)  iflemlsb  patnttnos    235 

amenities  or  much  intercourse  between  the  various 
districts.  The  South,  or  Flanders,  with  its  GalHc 
blood,  leaned  towards  and  soon  succumbed  to  the 
Roman  influences  of  its  Latin  affiliations.  The 
North,  or  Holland,  of  the  Teutonic  race,  always 
voiced  its  spirit  and  manifested  its  individuality. 
The  kernel  of  distinction  may  well  be  summed  up 
in  the  statement  that  the  Flemings,  as  did  the 
Italians,  painted  for  churches  and  the  palaces  of 
the  rich,  the  Dutch  painted  for  the  home  of  the 
burgher.  Not  until  the  end  of  the  seventeenth 
century  did  Dutch  art  succumb  to  outside  influ- 
ences, weakened  and  decayed. 

We  have  seen  some  of  the  Dutch  works  of  the 
fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  but  with  the 
beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  the  golden  age 
dawned  in  Dutch  art.  A  score  of  years  before 
Rembrandt,  the  greatest  master,  Frans  Hals  (1584- 
1666)  was  born,  who  may  be  ranked  only  second 
to  Rembrandt. 

Frans  Hals  was  foremost  as  a  portraitist;  even 
his  delightful  types  of  streetboys,  bumboat  women 
and  topers  are  intrinsically  character-portraits.  He 
was  a  craftsman  par  excellence,  succeeding  by 
simple  means  to  achieve  the  broadest  results.  He 
did  not  go  into  the  mysteries  of  chiaroscuro,  and 
was  content  to  surround  his  figures  with  ordinary 
daylight,  but  therein  acquired  a  sovereign  control 


236     Xlbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  aBerlin  ealleries 

over  local  tones  in  which  he  is  only  rivalled  by- 
Velasquez. 

Ten  paintings  which  came  from  his  hand  enable 
us  to  study  his  work  as  comprehensively  in  the 
Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum  as  in  Haarlem,  where 
his  large  militia  and  regent  groups  are  found,  for 
they  range  here  in  date  from  1616  to  1660.  The 
earliest  dated  work"  is  a  replica,  possibly  by  Dirk 
Hals,  of  an  original  by  Frans,  now  in  the  United 
States.  This  is  "The  Jolly  Clover-leaf"  (801D), 
in  which  a  merry  Dutchman  has  a  well-dressed 
girl  on  his  knee,  while  another  girl  standing  behind 
holds  a  wreath  of  sausages  over  his  head.  The 
faces  form  a  trefoil  of  humourous  good-nature 
and  enjoyment. 

From  the  years  around  1625  we  have  two  half- 
lengths  of  a  young  married  couple  (800-801)  and 
of  a  young  nobleman  (801 F),  in  rich  velvet  doublet, 
large  black  flap-hat,  and  immense  lace-collar,  who 
seems  to  be  dissatisfied  with  the  world  but  tries  to 
make  the  best  of  it  —  and  the  artist  unmercifully 
depicts  the  little  success  he  seems  to  have,  for  the 
disgruntled  state  of  his  mind  is  ludicrously  more 
apparent  than  the  man's  attempt  at  bonhommie. 
Also  the  "Singing  Boy"  (801A),  with  a  long 
feather  in  his  cap,  beating  time  with  one  hand,  and 
a  flute  in  the  other  to  play  the  interludes,  is  a  capital 
piece  of  character  painting. 


FRANS 
HALS 


NURSE  AND  CHILD 
Plate  XXXIII 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ube  H)utcb  an^  iflemlsb  patntinas    237 

Two  other  portraits  came  a  few  years  later,  of  a 
young  man  (766)  and  of  the  controversial  preacher 
Johannes  Acronius  (767).  They  are  equally  broad 
in  technique  and  expressive  of  vitality. 

From  the  middle  period  of  the  artist,  about  1635, 
is  that  popular  group  "  Nurse  and  Child  "  (801 G. 
Plate  XXXIII).  This  little  heiress  of  Ilpenstein, 
in  its  fine  flowery  Dutch  baby-clothes,  is  just  as 
typical  and  jolly  as  the  peasant,  who  has  been  taken 
in  at  the  castle  as  nurse-girl,  Is  simple  and  good- 
natured,  and  rather  in  high  feather  that  she  may 
show  the  young  Freule  to  the  visitors. 

The  famous  "  Hille  Bobbe,  the  Witch  of  Haar- 
lem "  (801C)  is  a  comic  grotesque,  for  the  large 
bright  pewter  tankard  which  she  grasps  is  not  as 
fleshcreeping  as  the  bubbling  pot  of  witchcraft. 
The  name  is  an  ancient  misreading  of  a  writing  on 
the  back  of  the  original  frame  from  Frans  Hals' 
own  hand :  "  Malle  Babbe  van  Haarlem  "  —  Foolish 
Barbara  of  Haarlem.  A  rather  poor  replica  of  this 
work  is  in  the  Metropolitan  Museum  of  New 
York. 

The  most  monumental  portrait  is  that  of  Tyman 
Oosdorp  (801H),  a  life-size,  half -figure,  of  brusque 
appearance.  It  dates  of  1656.  The  knee-piece, 
life-size,  of  an  elderly  man  (801E)  is  one  of  his 
latest  works,  of  1660,  and  is  in  the  thin  painting 
of  these  later  years,  but  as  expressive,  as  sure  of 


238      Ube  art  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

touch,  and,  if  anything,  more  refined  than  the 
earher  work. 

In  this  room  we  find  also  two  examples  by  Gerard 
Terborch  (1617-1681),  "Paternal  Advice"  (791) 
and  "  The  Scissors  Grinder  "  (793).  The  title  of 
Paternal  Advice  was  given  by  Goethe  when  he  de- 
scribed this  picture,  but  it  is  very  doubtful  whether 
Terborch  intended  to  tell  a  story.  It  is  plainly  a 
genre  painting  of  some  people  meeting  for  an  af- 
ternoon liqueur  and  gossip,  and  intended  to  show 
the  fine  interior  of  a  burgherhome  and  the  shotted 
silk  of  the  dress  of  the  lady  who  stands  with  her 
back  towards  us.  The  "  Scissors  Grinder  "  is  a 
genre  which  the  aristocratic  painter  did  not  often 
select.  A  ruinous  looking  brick  cabin  flanks  a 
courtyard  with  sheds,  and  the  workman  is  busy 
grinding  a  tool  for  the  farmer  who  lounges  against 
a  post.  The  farmer's  wife  is  combing  her  child's 
hair.  The  d-etail,  especially  the  painting  of  the 
weathered  boards  and  crumbling  masonry  is  mas- 
terly done,  and  the  whole  is  bathed  in  a  sunny 
colourscheme,  which  proves  the  artist  to  have  been 
as  much  a  master  of  outdoor  effects  as  of  interiors. 

In  Cabinet  58  we  find  a  large  portrait  (753),  by 
Paul  Moreelse  (1571-1638),  one  of  the  group  of 
portrait  painters  just  preceding  Rembrandt,  of 
which  Ravenstein,  Mierevelt  and  de  Keyzer  were 
members.     By  Thomas  de  Keyzer  (1596-1667)  we 


Ube  Butcb  an^  jflemtsb  painttnos  239 

find  a  family  group  (750),  all  the  members  stately 
dressed  in  black,  seated  and  standing  around  a 
green-covered  table.  Also  the  portrait  of  an  old 
lady  (743),  by  J.  G.  Cuyp  (1594-1651)  is  a  deft 
and  intimate  presentation  of  a  burgher  vrouw. 

A  rarity  is  found  here  in  two  landscapes  by 
Adriaen  van  de  Venne  (1589-1662),  a  man  of 
whom  not  many  ^yorks  are  in  existence.  He  filled 
a  place  in  Dutch  art  which  Velvet  Breughel  occu- 
pied in  Flanders,  with  this  difference  that  van  de 
Venue's  paintings  of  landscapes  with  little  figures 
are  more  expressive,  fresher  and  cooler,  while 
Breughel's  little  figures  are  often  slurred,  and  his 
colour  is  dryer  and  hotter.  The  two  landscapes 
"Summer"  (741A)  and  "Winter"  (741B),  by 
van  de  Venne,  give  two  realistic  rural  scenes  ex- 
pressive of  the  seasons,  Summer  with  travellers 
on  the  road,  surrounded  by  beggars,  and  hunters 
crossing  a  brook.  Winter  with  skaters  enjoying 
themselves  on  the  ice  of  a  river  with  snowy  banks 
and  a  white-robed  city  in  the  distance. 

Two  other  landscape  painters  of  note  were  van 
Goyen  and  Salomon  van  Ruysdael.  Jan  van  Goyen 
(1596-1656)  was  a  man  of  the  greatest  individual 
expression,  who  painted  his  Holland  as  he  saw  it, 
regardless  of  any  principle  of  composition  —  vil- 
lages, dunes,  or  cities  by  the  riverbanks,  with  a 
wide  blue  sky  overhead  and  air  to  breathe.     Such 


240     XTbe  Htt  ot  tbe  JSerlfn  Galleries 

landscapes  are  his  "  View  of  Arnhem  "  (865D)  aiid 
"The  Dunes"  (865).  Of  Salomon  van  Ruysdael 
(1600-1670)  we  have  a  view  of  the  mouth  of  a 
river  (901  A),  and  two  scenes  of  the  flat  country  of 
North  Holland (901B,C), one  from  his  earlier  years 
when  he  followed  the  style  of  Esaias  van  de  Velde, 
the  other,  twenty-five  years  lateir,  in  which  the 
influence  of  his  nephew  Jacob  is  easily  discernible. 

The  large  number  of  other  paintings  of  the  so- 
called  Little  Masters  will  be  seen  after  we  have 
first  examined  the  next  cabinet,  exclusively  devoted 
to  the  works  of  the  "  King  of  Painters." 

Room  57  —  Rembrandt 

We  need  not  be  surprised  that  the  Kaiser  Fried- 
rich  Museum  of  Berlin  is  the  place  to  study  com- 
prehensively and  completely  the  works  of  Rem- 
brandt (1606-1669),  covering  his  entire  creative 
period,  from  1627  to  1667.  For  Dr.  Wilhelm 
Bode,  the  greatest  Rembrandt  student,  is  in  charge, 
and  his  scholarship  has  contributed  to  the  selection 
of  almost  half  of  the  twenty-two  works  assembled 
here.  Most  of  the  others  came  from  the  royal 
castles  in  1821,  where  not  a  few  had  been  since 
1676,  when  the  estate  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  was 
divided. 

For  a  critical  study  of  the  life  and  works  of  the 
grand-master  of  painting  I  must  refer  to  the  chapter 


'•       •      > 


REMBRANDT 


SELF  -  PORTRAIT 
Plate    XXXIV 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ubc  Butcb  an^  jflemlsb  ipatnttnas   241 

on  Rembrandt  in  my  book  on  "  The  Art  of  the 
Netherland  Galleries."  It  must  suffice  here  to 
point  out  that  in  all  the  periods  of  his  art  the  master 
reached  the  same  height.  There  is  little  or  no 
development  in  his  work.  He  often  changed  his 
method  but  always  it  was  at  the  same  height  of 
supreme  excellence  —  the  work  of  a  genius.  His 
earliest  important  work,  the  "  Anatomy  Lesson " 
of  1628,  and  "  The  Syndics  "  of  1660,  painted  in 
the  same  refined  manner,  are  equal  in  artistic  value, 
and  could  be  exchanged  as  to  dates.  There  is  a 
cosmic  unity  in  his  work  despite  the  marvellous 
extent  of  his  creative  genius. 

Two  self-portraits  of  1633  and  1634  are  like  the 
many  portraits  he  painted  of  himself  —  about  sixty 
times  —  not  so  much  intended  to  perpetuate  his 
features  but  JDecause  in  his  own  person  he  had 
always  a  ready  model  to  give  an  artistic  presentment 
of  the  human  face  and  form  in  light-effect  and 
drapery.  Likeness  of  features  was  to  him  a  minor 
consideration  in  his  own  case.  The  portrait  of 
1633  (808.  Plate  XXXIV)  has  long  hair,  a  velvet 
hat  with  green  feather,  a  steel  gorget  and  a  golden 
chain  over  a  grey  mantle.  That  of  1634  (810) 
has  a  black  barette,  brown  mantle,  fur  collar  and 
green  neckerchief.  The  features  in  both  are  those 
of  a  strongly  self-reliant  man  in  which  the  trait  of 
a  kindly  disposition  is  not  obliterated. 


242      XTbe  Brt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Oalleties 

This  indifference  for  the  face  except  as  a  piece 
of  painting  is  noticeable  in  the  portrait  of  the 
"Man  with  the  Golden  Helmet"  (811A).  His 
elder  brother,  who  had  taken  over  his  father's  flour- 
mill  in  Leyden  and  after  hard  work  had  failed,  had 
come  to  his  rich  painter  brother  in  Amsterdam 
about  1650  for  help,  and  the  artist  had  used  him 
as  a  model,  principally  to  put  on  his  head  the  golden 
helmet  which  he  had  among  his  curiosities.  And 
the  marvellous  contrast  between  the  magnificent 
headpiece  and  the  rugged  features  of  a  hard-worked 
man  does  not  give  us  so  much  a  family  picture  as 
the  document  of  a  grizzly  old  warrior.  But  how 
much  did  Rembrandt  love  to  paint  that  bright, 
mirroring,  embossed  helmet,  emphasized  by  the  red 
touch  of  velvet  and  contrasted  with  the  dull  tones 
of  the  withered  skin. 

The  portrait  of  his  wife  Saskia  (812)  was 
finished  in  1643,  the  year  after  she  died.  It  is  a 
memorial  in  which  the  master  depicted  in  loving 
remembrance  the  features  of  one  who  had  been  his 
greatest  joy.  He  bedecks  her  with  all  the  pearls 
and  jewels  which  he  had  bought  for  her  adornment, 
and  a  gentle  smile  plays  over  her  lips  that  recalls  to 
him  the  sweetness  of  her  disposition. 

Hendrikje  Stoffels  was  the  friend  and  comfort 
of  his  later  years.  The  finest  portrait  whereby  we 
know  her  is  the  one  before  us  (828B).     She  had 


Ube  Dutcb  ant)  fflemtsb  paintings  243 

come  in  Rembrandt's  household  in  1647  as  a  plain 
servant  girl  from  the  country  to  take  care  of  the 
young  boy  Titus.  She  went  through  the  financial 
stress  which  worried  her  master  all  through  the 
fifties,  and  she  became  to  him  all  a  woman  could 
be.  Rembrandt  could  not  marry  hei*,  because  he 
could  not  loose  the  usufruct  of  Saskia's  inherit- 
ance, nor  would  it  have  been  possible  for  him  to 
make  restitution  to  Titus  of  the  principal,  which 
in  the  case  of  a  second  marriage  he  would  have 
been  obliged  to  do.  The  Church-consistory  cited 
her  and  excommunicated  her,  but  Hendrikje  faith- 
fully remained  with  Rembrandt  as  wife,  nurse, 
helpmeet  —  a  martyr  and  a  heroine  for  love's  sake. 
Well  did  the  master  place  the  wedding-ring  which 
she  could  not  wear  on  her  finger  on  a  ribbon 
around  her  neck,  as  she  is  looking  out  of  the  win- 
dow, her  right  hand  leaning  against  the  casemate, 
and  her  left  arm  resting  on  the  sill.  It  is  a  round 
full  face  of  a  simple,  well-meaning  charm. 

The  most  imposing  portrait  group  is  the  famous 
double-portrait  of  the  "  Mennonite  (Baptist) 
Preacher  Anslo  and  his  Wife"  (828L).  The 
clergyman  has  just  returned  from  the  street  and 
is  seated  at  his  study-table,  still  with  mantle  and 
hat  on,  relating  something  to  his  wife,  a  most 
charming,  prim  looking,  middle-aged  lady,  with 
white  coif  and  fluted  lace  collar. 


244      'C^be  Hrt  of  tbe  JBerlin  Galleries 

In  connection  with  this  painting  I  would  digress 
a  moment  to  propound  a  theory,  which  may  sound 
paradoxical,  but  which  controverts  much  that 
is  taught  in  art  schools  and  written  in  art  criti- 
cism. 

One  of  the  supreme  excellences  found  in  all  the 
works  of  Rembrandt  is  his  composition  —  and  this 
is  generally  understood  to  mean  a  deliberate  ar- 
ranging and  composing  of  the  divisions  of  the 
picture,  the  placing  of  its  light-spots  and  shadow- 
masses,  the  flow  of  its  demarking  lines,  the  centre 
of  interest  and  subsidiary  detail,  and  various  other 
phraseological  minutiae,  dear  to  the  heart  of  aca- 
demic instructors  and  Raphael  imitators. 

The  matter  of  "  Composition  "  is  much  discussed 
as  a  foundation  principle  of  art.  It  is  almost  raised 
to  the  dignity  of  being  a  science,  with  precepts  and 
directions  as  rigid  as  the  rule  of  three.  Books 
have  been  written  on  the  subject,  giving  lines  and 
measurements  and  intricate  designs. 

Flatly  —  there  is  no  such  a  thing  as  composition, 
in  the  sense  of  an  acquired  and  developed  dexterity, 
to  be  taught  and  to  be  learned.  Composition  is 
merely  the  manifestation  of  a  sense  of  balance,  of 
equilibrium  in  the  artist.  He  must  possess  what 
among  artisans  is  called  a  "  carpenter's  eye."  An 
eye  that  not  only  sees  but  feels  right  proportions, 
and  not  only  copies  from  nature  but  instinctively 


XTbe  Dutcb  anD  iflemisb  paintings    245 

adjusts  nature  so  that  the  masses  will  balance  and 
the  lines  not  conflict.  In  the  infancy  of  art  some 
extraneous  rules  were  laid  down,  and  we  had  the 
classic  lines  of  Mantegna,  the  architectural  setting 
of  the. early  Florentines,  the  pyramid  form  of  Fra 
Bartolommeo,  even  followed  by  Raphael  —  but 
great  art  is  inspired  and  does  not  go  by  rote. 

A  proof  of  this  we  find  in  some  of  the  greatest 
works  of  the  English  school,  where  the  academic 
catchwords  "centre  of  interest,"  "unity  of  de- 
sign "  are  ignominiously  ignored.  For  instance. 
Turner's  "  Fighting  Temeraire  "  can  be  cut  in  half 
and  make  two  complete  pictures  —  which  is  a 
heinous  offence  against  the  rules  of  composition  — 
yet,  the  Fighting  Temeraire  is  a  marvellous  unit 
of  surpassing  splendour  and  power.  And  the  same 
we  find  in  all  the  works  of  Rembrandt.  There  is 
an  utter  absence  of  the  sense  of  composing  —  re- 
member the  mixed  groups  of  his  "  Nightwatch  "  — 
but  his  balance  of  form  and  of  light  and  shade 
IS  absolutely  perfect.  In  the  Anslo  portrait  we  find 
the  figure  of  the  man  dominating  the  centre;  the 
black  dress  of  his  wife,  made  positive  by  the  white 
cap  and  collar,  the  face  and  hands,  are  to  the  right ; 
and  to  the  left  the  table  on  which  a  reading-desk, 
a  heavy  folio  and  a  brass  candlestick,  all  receiving 
the  light  of  an  unseen  window  —  a  perfect  balance 
of  harmonious   values.     All  the  works   of  Rem- 


246      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  :iBerltn  Galleries 

brandt,  as  well  as  the  works  of  all  the  great  masters, 
prove  that  we  may  only  speak  of  composition  as 
of  a  result,  not  as  of  a  pons  asinorum,  a  means  to 
lead  thereto.  Composition  cannot  be  taught,  as 
mixing  paint  or  holding  the  brush.  It  is  one  of 
the  innate  gifts  that  makes  the  artist.  It  is  not 
subject  to  rules,  but  is  a  spontaneous  expression 
of  artistic  genius.  And  that  inborn  gift  was  pos- 
sessed by  Rembrandt  more  consummate,  more  per- 
fect, than  by  any  artist  who  has  ever  lived. 

Rembrandt's  portrayals  of  types  have  all  the  in- 
dividual characterization  of  portraits.  His  "  Old 
Man  with  the  Red  Cap"  (828J),  the  portrait  of 
a  "Young  Jew"  (828M),  and  of  a  "Rabbi" 
(828A)  are  fine  examples  of  physiognomic  obser- 
vation, of  a  broad,  sure  handling  of  the  brush,  and 
a  magic  management  of  light-effects. 

The  majority  of  Rembrandt's  historical  paint- 
ings are  of  scriptural  subjects,  and  by  preference 
of  the  Old  Testament.  Like  all  the  religious 
pictures  of  the  Dutch  school  they  were  not  designed 
for  churches,  as  with  the  Italians  and  Flemings, 
but  for  the  home.  And,  again,  not  there  for 
devotional  purposes,  but  as  reverent  reminders  of 
the  sacred  story.  To  make  these  presentations 
more  intimate  and  useful  for  ethical  application 
they  were  dressed  in  the  garb  of  popular  conditions 
—  humanized,  not  spiritualized. 


Zbc  H)utcb  ant)  fflemtsb  ipatntings   247 

We  find  here  a  number  of  these  sacred  themes. 
The  "Vision  of  Daniel''  (828F),  the  "Good 
Samaritan"  (812B),  "  Potiphar's  Wife  accusing 
Joseph"  (828H),  "Susannah  and  the  Elders" 
(828E),  "Joseph's  Dream"  (806),  "John  the 
Baptist  Preaching"  (828K),  and  "  Tobith's  Wife 
with  the  stolen  Goat"  (805) — they  are  all  pre- 
sentations which  may  not  lead  us  to  worship,  but 
surely  will  make  us  think  of  the  lessons  these 
incidents  teach. 

Rooms  56,  54,  53,  55,  52  —  Dutch  Paintings  of 
THE  17th  Century 

The  series  of  galleries  which  we  will  visit  in  the 
order  above  indicated  contains  the  works  of  many 
of  the  important  painters  of  the  golden  age  of 
Dutch  art,  notably  of  the  so-called  Little  Masters. 
In  the  last  gallery  we  will  find  still  a  half  dozen 
additional  works  by  Rembrandt,  of  his  earliest  and 
of  his  latest  years.  If  the  reader  will  refer  to  the 
floor  plan  of  the  Gallery  which  appears  on  page 
five  he  will  find  Gallery  61  indicated;  this  Gallery, 
however,  is  filled  with  a  loan  collection,  only  tem- 
porarily exhibited,  so  that  we  cannot  spare  the  space 
for  a  description  of  its  contents. 

The  first  name  to  be  mentioned  on  entering 
Cabinet  56  is  of  Jacob  van  Ruisdael  (1628-1682), 
one  of  the  greatest  landscapists  of  that  century. 


248     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerltn  (Balleries 

Ruisdael,  Hobbema,  van  Goyen,  and  Aelbert  Cuyp 
were  the  creators  of  pure  landscape  art.  They 
were  the  first  who  developed  the  searching  of  the 
few  Italian  landscapists  and  of  Claude  Lor  rain 
with  their  striving  for  idealization  or  classic  effects, 
and  who  revealed  the  true  inwardness  of  nature. 
They  were  the  first  to  understand  fully  and  to 
reflect  clearly  the  peculiar  poetry  of  landscape  — 
and  their  inspiration  produced  Constable,  Barbizon, 
and  the  modern  Dutchman.  They  painted  simple, 
uniform  landscapes,  which  entrance  by  the  lively 
play  of  light  and  shade,  colour  and  tone.  They 
were  the  first  sky-painters  —  but  then,  no  country 
has  skies  like  Holland,  their  cloudmasses,  their 
manifold  form  and  colour,  the  effect  of  bursting 
sunrays  and  chasing  shadows.  Nature  was  not 
only  seen  by  these  men,  but  its  intimate  life  was 
felt  by  them,  and  reproduced  with  a  sympathy  that 
none  had  ever  expressed. 

To  this  sympathy  Jacob  Ruisdael  added 
grandeur,  his  colour  rose  to  dramatic  power. 
Twelve  examples  here  show  him  in  every  phase 
of  his  expressive  genius,  from  the  earlier  works 
of  Dutch  scenery  to  the  later  works  when  to  catch 
the  popular  taste  he  followed  van  Everdingen's 
example  and  painted  rocks  and  waterfalls.  Some 
of  his  paintings  are  views  of  dunes  and  bleaching- 
grounds  such  as  he  saw  in  his  youthful  years  near 


Ube  B)utcb  ant>  Jflemtsb  palnttnos   249 

Haarlem.  Here  he  shows  his  mastery  to  give 
atmospheric  Hfe,  the  simple  clearness  and  wonderful 
freshness  of  these  flat  stretches  seen  from  the 
eminence  of  the  dunes.  But  even  early  his  melan- 
choly disposition  made  him  turn  to  solitude  and 
sombreness,  and  we  have  the  "  Oakforest  "  (885G) 
with  its  pool  in  the  hollow,  on  which  water  lilies 
float;  the  lonely  hut  under  the  heavy  oaks  (899C), 
heavily  clouded  over,  and  sad  in  feeling;  and  the 
"Ruins  in  the  Woods"  (884B).  The  "  Village 
in  the  Woods  "  (884A)  is  more  tense  in  expression 
with  its  angry  sky,  riven  by  lightning.  A  "  View 
of  the  Dam  in  Amsterdam"  (885D)  has  that 
silvery  tone  which  sometimes  lightens  up  his  later 
works. 

An  exceedingly  rare  example  is  one  of  the  few 
marines  Ruisdael  painted.  This  is  a  view  of  the 
"  Y  before  Amsterdam"  (884),  which  in  his  time 
was  an  arm  of  the  Zuiderzee  but  now  narrowed  to 
a  canal.  The  choppy  waves  and  the  towering, 
rolling  sky;  the  white  spray  churned  up  by  the 
brown-sailed  fishing  smacks,  the  keeling  vessels 
farther  back,  all  shows  the  heavy  weather  that  is 
blowing.  The  towers  of  Amsterdam  are  seen  in 
the  distance  on  the  right.  One  of  his  last  works 
is  the  "Waterfall"  (899A),  not  a  roaring  torrent 
as  van  Everdingen  used  to  paint,  but  a  broad 
stream  that  narrows  in  the  middle  distance  and 


250      Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

breaks  over  jutting  rocks.  Still  he  seems  to  awaken 
strings  that  yield  wild,  broken  music  among  the 
rugged  trees. 

The  "Wooded  Landscape '^  (886),  by  Meindert 
Hobbema  (1638-1709),  is  one  of  his  quiet,  deeply 
felt  scenes  of  trees  and  sky.  It  is  difficult  to  choose 
between  Ruisdael  and  Hobbema,  for  the  work  of 
each  has  supreme  quality.  The  personal  mood 
of  the  spectator  will  havet  much  to  do  with 
awarding  the  palm,  for  Ruisdael  appeals  with 
his  stern  strength,  Hobbema  with  his  serene 
calm. 

Aelbert  Cuyp  (1620-1698),  the  Dordrecht 
painter  of  polders,  meadows  and  streams,  with 
cattle  and  peasants,  was  the  first  painter  of  sun- 
light as  it  filters  through  the  moist  atmosphere  of 
the  lowlands.  Four  such  scenes  are  depicted  by 
him,  whereof  the  "River  Landscape"  (861B)  is 
one  of  his  masterpieces.  Also  the  "  Farm " 
(922C),  by  Adriaen  van  de  Velde  (1636-1672), 
is  a  masterpiece  of  that  thorough  landscapist,  while 
his  "River  Landscape"  (922B),  with  its  reflec- 
tions in  the  water  of  trees,  a  farmhouse  and  a  fine 
white  horse,  is  especially  attractive. 

A  beginning  is  made  in  this  cabinet,  56,  with  the 
genre  painters  who  are  so  well  represented  in  the 
Museum.  First,  however,  we  note  two  portraits, 
by     Govert     Flinck     (1615-1660),     Rembrandt's 


LADY  WITH  THE  PEARL  NECKLACE 
JAN 
VERMEER  P^^te   xxxv 

VAN  DELFT 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


XTbe  Dutcb  an^  jflemtsb  paintings   251 

closest  follower,  of  a  young  lady  (81 3A),  and  by 
Bartholomeus  van  der  Heist  (1613-1670),  also  of 
a  young  girl  (825A). 

Jan  Steen  (1626-1679)  is  the  jolly  chronicler 
who  leads  us  to  the  intimate  life  of  burgher  and 
boor.  He  introduces  himself,  seated  in  a  summer- 
garden  (795),  enjoying  a  pickled  herring,  while 
his  wife  assists  their  young  offspring  to  drink  beer 
out  of  a  huge  tankard.  A  jiumber  of  people  are 
lounging  about  at  the  long  wooden  tables  under 
the  arbour  regaling  themselves.  Also  in  the  next 
cabinet,  53,  which  we  now  enter,  we  see  one  of  his 
delightful  gatherings.  This  time  it  is  the  "  Bap- 
tismal Feast"  (795D),  in  the  taproom  of  his 
hostelry  —  for  Steen  also  kept  an  inn  —  where 
the  family  gathered  around  the  cradle  will  soon 
join  the  revelry  of  the  company  at  table  in  the  rear 
of  the  room. 

The  greatest  of  the  genre  painters  was  undoubt- 
edly Jan  Vermeer  van  Delft  (1632-1675).  His 
play  of  light,  whether  out-of-doors  or  in  an  interior, 
is  the  essence  of  refinement  and  delicacy.  First 
we  note  his  "  Lady  with  the  Pearl-necklace  '* 
(912B.  Plate  XXXV).  The  full  signature  on  this 
painting  was  one  of  the  means  whereby  Thoreau 
rediscovered,  a  generation  ago,  this  master  who 
had  dropped  entirely  out  of  historical  records  and 
was  an  unknown  man,  whose  few  existent  works, 


252     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

about  thirty-five  in  all,  were  ascribed  to  other 
painters  of  his  school. 

Against  a  pale  grey  background  the  figure  of 
the  young  woman  stands  as  she  fastens  about  her 
throat  a  necklace  of  pearls.  She  wears  a  canary 
yellow  jacket  bordered  with  ermine,  and  a  grey 
skirt.  In  her  blond  hair  a  red  ribbon  is  tied. 
Light  streams  through  a  window  in  the  back  part 
of  the  picture,  touching  the  folds  of  the  saffron 
coloured  curtain  hanging  beside  it,  falling  on  the 
face  and  upper  part  of  the  figure  of  the  lady,  illu- 
mining the  wall,  and  so  permeating  the  atmosphere 
that  even  in  the  shadows  the  colours  are  blended 
in  a  wonderful  harmony. 

His  other  example  is  an  interior  with  a  "  Lady 
and  Gentleman"  (912C),  with  most  exquisite 
tenderest  gradations  of  silvery  light  pervading  the 
handsome  sittingroom  in  which  the  light  streams 
through  a  half -open,  leaded  window. 

The  man  who  in  refinement  of  feeling  stands 
next  to  Vermeer  was  Gerard  Terborch,  of  whom 
we  saw  two  paintings  in  Room  59.  He  excels  in 
painting  textures,  and  while  his  light  is  not  so 
fascinatingly  plein  air  as  with  Vermeer,  it  is  still 
lovingly  graded.  Terborch's  colour,  though  some- 
what heavier,  is  still  of  exquisite  harmony.  A 
number  of  his  cabinetpieces  are  found  here,  some 
of  his  later  works  of  fashionable  folks,  others  of 


NICOLAAS 
MAES 


PEELING  APPLES 
Plate  XXXVI 


Kaiser  Friedrich 
Museum 


Ubc  H)utcb  an^  jf  lemlsb  palnttnos    253 

his  earlier  Haarlem  period  of  more  unconventional 
types.  "A  Young  Married  Couple"  (791H),  the 
"  Concert  "  (791G),  the  "  Doctor's  Visit  "  (791C), 
the  "Smoker"  (791F),  together  with  a  few  por- 
traits are  found  here  and  in  cabinet  54. 

The  one  who  stands  on  a  par  with  Steen,  Ter- 
borch,  and  Vermeer  is  Pieter  de  Hooch  (1629- 
1677),  famous  for  his  contrasts  of  interior  and 
exterior  light  in  the  same  composition.  His 
"Mother"  (820B)  has  that  perspective  of  rooms 
whereby  his  highest  attainment  of  light-manage- 
ment is  demonstrated.  The  young  mother  is  seated 
by  the  cradle  in  front  of  the  usual  Dutch  bedstead 
built  like  a  closet  in  the  wall,  and  through  a  door 
at  the  side  of  the  bed  we  look  into  an  entry  and 
the  corner  of  another  room,  with  a  larger  window 
and  more  brightly  lit.  De  Hooch  showed  as  much 
love  of  detail  and  perfection  of  painting  stillife  as 
Dou  or  any  other  of  the  Little  Masters.  In  his 
"Company  of  Officers  and  Ladies"  (1401)  he 
depicted  one  of  those  social  conversation  pieces  so 
beloved  by  the  Hollanders  of  his  day. 

The  last  of  the  genre  painters  who,  alas,  in  his 
later  years  succumbed  to  the  Frenchified  taste  of 
the  time,  was  Nicolaas  Maes  (1632-1693).  His 
"  Peeling  Apples  "  (819  C.  Plate  XXXVI)  is  one 
of  those  types  of  old  women  which  he  loved  to 
paint,   and   which,   in   technique,   are   fully   under 


254     ^be  art  of  tbe  Berlin  (Balleries 

Rembrandt's  influence.  Still  there  is  an  individual 
conception  in  his  work,  even  when  he  comes  nearest 
to  his  master,  which  endears  him  to  the  art  lover. 
Surely  there  is  nothing  more  captivating  than  the 
placid  old  soul  who  sits  there  at  the  window,  with 
her  open  bible  on  the  sill,  with  her  spinning-wheel, 
and  the  cruse  in  the  niche  in  the  wall. 

Also  the  work  of  Jan  van  der  Heyden  (1637- 
1712),  the  best  architectural  painter,  hangs  here, 
with  a  view  of  a  street  before  the  Haarlem  gate 
of  Amsterdam  (1623);  as  well  as  some  poultry 
(876A),  by  Melchior  d'Hondecoeter  (1636-1695), 
and  StiUife  (948D,  F),  by  Willem  Kalf  (1621- 
1693). 

We  have  now  reached  Gallery  52,  which  still 
contains  works  of  the  same  period.  First  we  note 
a  half  dozen  works  by  Rembrandt,  for  which  no 
room  was  found  in  cabinet  58.  We  halt  before 
his  earliest  known  picture,  painted  in  1627,  when 
the  artist  was  but  twenty-one  years  old.  This  is 
"The  Money-changer"  (828D),  also  called  the 
"  Antiquary,"  which  has  all  the  broadness  of  treat- 
ment and  powerful  chiaroscuro  of  his  later  years. 
Of  the  next  year  we  have  "  Samson  and  Delilah  '* 
(812A),  a  different  treatment  of  the  subject  from 
the  large  one  in  the  Count  Schonborn  Collection  in 
Vienna.  An  interesting  composition  is  another 
Samson  picture,  "  Samson  threatens  his  Father-in- 


XCbe  Dtttcb  anb  fflemisb  IPainttngs  255 

law"  (802).  Samson  stands  in  rich  oriental  cos- 
tume before  a  house  and  shakes  his  clenched  fist 
at  his  father-in-law  who  is  putting  his  head  out  of 
a  window  to  see  what  disturbance  is  being  made. 
The  old  man's  face  shows  his  hypocritical  regret 
and  commiseration  when  he  exclaims,  "  I  thought 
you  had  quarrelled  and  I  gave  her  to  one  of  your 
companions."  It  is  an  amusing  coincidence  that 
this  picture  was  painted  in  1635,  or  the  year  after 
Rembrandt  married  Saskia,  and  it  may  have 
been  a  humourous  reflection  on  the  antagonism 
which  he  had  to  overcome  during  the  time  of 
his  courtship  from  the  side  of  the  Uylenborch 
family. 

Although  Rembrandt  had  not  been  long  in  the 
Latin  school  of  Leyden  which  he  attended,  he  did 
not  quite  forget  the  Greek  mythology  which  was 
taught  there,  and  when  he  settled  in  Amsterdam 
and  heard  that  the  cultured  classes  were  interested 
in  classic  studies  and  enjoyed  having  something 
Greek  in  their  rooms,  he  painted  several  mytho- 
logical subjects.  Of  these  we  find  here  "  The  Rape 
of  Proserpina"  (823).  But  his  mythology  is  as 
burlesque  as  Shakespeare's  "  Troilus  and  Cressida," 
and  the  Homeric  idylism  becomes  with  him  very 
realistic.  There  is  nothing  simpering  about  this 
elopement,  for  the  strong-muscled  Dutch  maiden 
claws  her  abductor  with  great  energy,  while  the 


256     TLbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  6allerie0 

fiery  steeds  plunge  and  drag  the  cart  along  at  a 
furious  gait. 

Two  works  of  his  latest  years  still  remain, 
"Moses  breaking  the  Tables  of  the  Law"  (811), 
of  1659,  and  "  Jacob  struggling  with  the  Angel  " 
(828),  of  the  next  year.  Both  have  a  strong 
pathetic  feeling.  Of  his  closest  pupil  Govert  Flinck 
we  have  a  "Casting  out  of  Hagar  "  (815),  which 
in  composition,  light-effect,  and  brushwork  shows 
the  schooling  he  had.  A  somewhat  earlier  man 
was  Nicolaes  Elias  (1590-1653),  who  was  more 
in  harmony  with  de  Keyzer,  Ravenstein,  Moreelse, 
and  the  rest  of  that  early  group.  His  two  full- 
length  portraits  of  Cornells  de  Graef,  burgomaster 
of  Amsterdam  (753A),  and  of  his  wife  (753B) 
are  faithful  and  convincing.  In  the  same  style  is 
the  double-portrait  of  a  nobleman  and  his  wife 
(858),  by  Abraham  van  den  Tempel  (1622-1672). 

Among  the  landscapes  we  single  out  a  "  Spring  " 
(861 G),  by  Aelbert  Cuyp,  and  a  characteristic 
"  Moonlight  "  (842),  by  Aert  van  der  Neer  (1603- 
1677).  Also  two  of  the  latter's  conflagrations 
(840,  840A)  are  to  be  seen  here.  Several  excellent 
landscapes  with  figures,  among  which  the  horses 
play  an  important  part,  are  by  Philip  Wouwerman 
(1619-1668),  and  a  mythological  scene,  "  Amarillis 
hands  the  Prize  to  Myrtill  "  (956),  an  illustration 
of  an  Italian  romance  of  the  period,  is  by  Cornelis 


Zbc  Btttcb  an5  flcmisb  patntings    257 

Poelenburgh  (1586-1667),  one  who  had  too  much 
leaning  towards  Elsheimer's  ItaHan  manner  to  be 
considered  a  pure  native  painter. 

Room  51  — Adolf  Thiem  Collection^  and 
Flemish  Paintings 

The  Thiem  Collection  is  noteworthy  for  its  many- 
examples  of  the  Netherland  schools  of  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries,  by  men  whose  works  we 
have  already  studied  elsewhere.  The  long  left  wall 
is  entirely  given  to  many  Flemish  paintings,  an 
overflow  from  the  Flemish  cabinets. 

There  are  several  works  by  David  Teniers  the 
Younger  (1610-1690),  one  of  which  is  a  portrait- 
group  of  the  artist  and  his  family  (857),  seated 
on  the  terrace  of  his  country  place,  while  the  artist 
is  playing  the  cello.  The  "  Backgammon  Players  " 
(856),  the  "  Guardroom  "  (866F)  and  the  "  Flem- 
ish Kirmess  "  (866C)  are  examples  of  his  tavern 
scenes,  full  of  peasant  types  and  jollity;  while  the 
"Temptation  of  St.  Anthony"  (859)  and  the 
"  Tortures  of  the  Rich  in  Purgatory  "  (866D)  are 
replete  with  the  fanciful,  grotesque  creations  in 
which  he  followed  Hieronymus  Bosch. 

Jacob  Jordaens  (1593-1678),  the  brusque,  often 
somewhat  coarse  painter  of  the  Rubens  school, 
exemplifies  in  his  "Jolly  Company"  (879),  his 
conception  of  the  old  Flemish  adage :   "As  the  old 


258      Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

sing,  the  young  peep,"  by  having  grown-ups  and 
children  gathered  around  a  table,  loaded  with 
drinks  and  eatables,  joining  in  song  to  the  tunes  of 
a  bagpipe  player. 

The  stately,  dignified  portrait  of  the  Marchesa 
Geronima  Spinola  (787A),  by  Anton  van  Dyck, 
is  somewhat  out  of  place  among  all  these  scenes 
of  frivolity  and  levity.  Several  stillives  by  Jan 
Fyt  (1611-1661),  and  by  Frans  Snyders  (1579- 
1657)  are  also  on  this  long  wall. 

On  the  little  wall  near  the  exit  we  find  a  few 
Flemish  Primitives,  a  "  Madonna  with  the  Child  " 
(529D),  by  Hans  Memlinc,  and  "Christ  in  the 
House  of  Simon"  (533A),  by  an  unknown  artist 
of  that  period. 


CHAPTER    VIII 

THE  ROYAL  NATIONAL  GALLERY 

The  foundation  of  the  Berlin  Collection  of  nine- 
teenth century  art  was  laid  when  in  1861  the  then 
King  Wilhelm  of  Prussia  accepted  the  legacy  of 
two  hundred  and  sixty- two  paintings  left  him  by 
the  late  Swedish  and  Norwegian  Consul  G.  H.  W. 
Wagener.  Since  that  time,  by  gifts,  legacies  and 
purchases,  the  Collection  has  grown  to  1100  paint- 
ings and  cartoons,  233  sculptures,  and  30,000 
drawings  and  watercolours.  The  vast  bulk  of  these 
are  works  by  German  artists,  for  not  until  1896 
was  any  effort  made  to  add  foreign  works. 

The  building  in  which  this  collection  of  modern 
art  was  housed  in  1876  was  designed  by  Stiiler, 
after  a  sketch  by  King  Friedrich  Wilhelm  IV 
himself.  Although  its  outward  appearance  of  a 
Corinthian  temple  is  imposing,  its  interior  is  far 
from  suitable  as  a  picture  museum,  for  only  two 
galleries  on  the  middle  floor  have  sky-lights. 

The  hanging  arrangement  does  not  lend  itself 
to  an  historical  survey  of  the  various  art  tendencies 
which  held  sway  in  Germany  during  the  nineteenth 

259 


26o     TLbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

century,  for  the  works  of  men  of  the  most  diver- 
ging views  are  often  hung  in  the  same  room.  The 
most  logical  way  to  view  the  paintings  in  this 
museum  will  be  by  beginning  with  the  top  floor, 
where  we  shall  first  inspect  the  works  of  the 
foreign  artists,  and  in  Rooms  I  and  II  the  German 
painters  of  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
Descending  to  the  second  floor  we  shall  find  the 
two  great  representative  men,  Cornelius  and 
Menzel,  each  of  whom  has  a  special  Gallery,  and 
in  the  other  rooms  the  work  of  the  men  of  Dussel- 
dorf  and  Munich,  up  to  the  time  of  the  Secession. 
In  the  rooms  of  the  first  floor  the  majority  of  the 
paintings  are  by  the  Moderns. 

We  ascend  then  the  monumental  stairway  to  the 
second  floor,  thence  to  the  third  floor,  and  pass 
through  Room  I  and  a  small  hallway  to  Room  III. 
There  we  find  a  number  of  works,  principally  by 
French  artists  who  with  more  or  less  reason  have 
been  called  "  forerunners  of  the  Impressionists." 
Whether  this  appellation  be  justifiable  or  not  to 
all,  it  is  apparent  that  scarcely  is  there  a  room  to 
be  found  anywhere  where  the  intrinsic  harmony 
of  great  art  is  so  palpable  as  in  this  gallery.  There 
is  not  a  discordant  note,  and  works  of  Constable, 
Diaz,  Millet,  Courbet  hang  alongside  of  those  of 
Goya,  Fantin-Latour,  and  Daumier  in  symphonic 
imion. 


XTbe  IRo^al  IRattonal  Galleri?        261 

The  work  of  Francisco  Goya  (1746-1828) 
attracts  us  first.  This  Spaniard  appeared  at  a  time 
when  few  artists  in  Europe  knew  how  to  paint. 
The  disease  of  academicism  which  ravaged  all 
Europe  did  not  touch  him,  and  in  him  we  find 
preserved  the  taste  for  true  painting,  inherited  from 
the  Renaissance  masters  and  bequeathed  to  the 
schools  that  appeared  after  the  first  quarter  of  the 
nineteenth  century  had  gone  by.  The  two  examples 
we  find  here,  a  "  Bull-fight "  and  the  "  May-pole," 
are  entirely  characteristic  of  the  strong  colour,  the 
broad  but  sure  brushwork,  the  perfect  ensemble  in 
which  Goya  excelled. 

Two  Englishmen,  although  landscapists,  are 
thoroughly  in  harmony  with  Goya.  John  Constable 
(1776-1837),  the  sincere,  studious,  unflinching 
interpreter  of  nature  —  rather  than  a  creator  — 
plants  our  feet  in  the  midst  of  nature,  surrounds 
us  with  it,  instead  of  giving  us  an  external  view 
thereof.  And  no  scenes  he  portrayed  with  such 
love  and  fidelity  as  the  familiar  scenes  of  his  earlier 
years.  Every  reach  of  the  willow-fringed  Stour, 
every  stretch  of  the  lanes  around  his  father's  mill, 
the  thatched  cottages  amid  the  woodlands  were 
all  stored  in  his  brain,  down  to  the  smallest  details. 
Two  such  favourite  subjects  are  here,  "  Village  on 
the  Stour  "  and  "  Mill  on  the  Stour." 

One  who  came  nearest  to  Constable  in  his  con- 


262     XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

ception  of  out-door  views,  but  who  devoted  himself 
mostly  to  the  seacoast,  was  Richard  Parker  Boning- 
ton  (1801-1828),  whose  untimely  death  cut  short 
a  career  of  wonderful  promise.  His  "  Fishing 
boats,"  with  the  chalk-rocks  of  Dover  in  the  back- 
ground is  full  of  moist  atmosphere  and  depth  of 
colour. 

Turning  to  the  French  we  find  that  perfervid 
enthusiast  of  realism  and  naturalism,  Gustavo 
Courbet  (1819-1877).  He  felt  nature  more  in- 
tensely for  what  it  is  than  for  what  it  suggests. 
He  was  absorbed  in  the  material,  physical,  actual, 
without  unearthy  voices  or  poetizing  idealism. 
Some  have  stigmatized  him  glibly  as  brutal  and 
gross,  but  this  is  beside  the  question  —  merely  the 
self-centred  judgment  of  the  Philistine.  His  was 
the  talent  of  elemental  strength,  large,  overpower- 
ing, which  triumphs  in  splendid  fashion  over  all 
imaginative  shortcomings.  The  "  Wave,"  here,  is 
a  preliminary  study  to  his  famous  Louvre  picture, 
and  has  much  of  the  imposing  grandeur  of  the 
final  production.  The  "  Mill-dam "  is  a  smaller 
canvas,  but  also  here  the  sentiment  of  reality  is 
equal  to  the  realism  of  the  technique.  His  "  Eagle- 
owl  attacking  a  Roe "  rivals  as  animal  painting 
anything  produced  by  Fyt  or  Snyders. 

The  same  spirit  of  real  nature,  but  with  the 
tenderness  and  charm  of  a  gentler  soul,  is  found  in 


Xlbe  IRopal  IRational  Galleri^         263 

the  "  Spring-landscape,"  by  Charles  Daubigny 
(1817-1878).  In  him  we  find  affection  for,  rather 
than  absorption  in  nature.  There  is  less  of  style, 
more  of  sentiment,  of  poetry  in  his  landscapes, 
which  expresses  itself  in  a  manner  spontaneous 
and  serene. 

Narcisso  Diaz  (1807-1876)  had  greater  elegance, 
even  with  decorative  impulse,  without  falling  into 
the  quagmire  of  rendering  his  subjects  with  mere 
superficial  attractiveness.  His  "  Wood-interior  " 
shows  somewhat  his  own  personal  imposing  of 
harmonious  and  rich  colours  upon  the  usual  sobriety 
of  landscape. 

Thomas  Couture  (1815-1879),  whose  "Romans 
of  the  Decadence  "  aroused  such  great  expectations 
which  never  were  fulfilled,  was  a  better  teacher 
than  painter,  and  directed  many  Germans  from 
Berlin,  among  whom  Feuerbach  and  others. 
Feuerbach's  early  work  can  easily  be  traced  to 
Couture's  "  Female  Head  "  which  we  find  here. 

Ignace  Fantin-Latour  (1836-1879),  although 
greatly  admiring  the  Impressionists,  was  not  much 
influenced  by  their  tendencies  until  late  in  life.  The 
two  portraits  here,  a  "  Self-portrait "  and  the 
"  Portrait  of  a  Lady,"  are  yet  in  his  early  style 
which  was  strongly  saturated  with  the  study  of  the 
Italian  masters. 

Honore    Daumier     (1810-1879),    the    greatest 


264     '^be  Hrt  of  tbe  JSerlin  Oallerfes 

caricaturist  of  France  in  the  nineteenth  century, 
was  also  a  strong  painter,  v^^hose  influence  upon  J. 
F.  Millet  has  been  recognized.  His  ''  Don  Quixote 
and  Sancho  Panza,"  travelling  through  a  rocky 
gorge,  the  knight  upon  his  bony  steed,  the  corpulent 
servant  on  a  little  donkey,  is  colourful,  and  has  the 
technique  of  line  which  this  powerful  draughtsman 
knew  how  to  use  and  to  exaggerate. 

In  the  Corridor  (IV)  we  find  a  number  of 
foreign  works  and  some  cases  with  statuettes 
by  modern  sculptors.  Among  the  paintings  we 
single  out  a  fine  evening  view  of  the  beach  at 
Scheveningen,  by  H.  W.  Mesdag  (born  1831),  the 
famous  Dutch  marine  painter;  and  a  view  of 
Venice,  by  Felix  Ziem  (1821-1911),  which  needs 
no  description  since  his  scenes  are  familiar  every- 
where. Also  the  American  painter  Gari  Melchers 
(born  1860)  is  represented  here  by  a  canvas  on 
which  his  vigorous  brush  has  depicted  the  mem- 
bers of  a  Dutch  fisherman's  family  in  genrelike 
simplicity.  A  few  Belgian  works  by  Leys,  Braeke- 
leer  and  Bossuet  are  thoroughly  academic. 

Gallery  V  contains  principally  the  work  of 
French  Impressionists,  and  of  others  who  are  in 
sympathy  with  their  method. 

The  strong,  which  is  also  the  weak  point  of  the 
impressionist  convention  is  its  aim  to  produce  the 
illusion   of   nature  rather   than   its   reality.     This 


XTbe  IRo^al  National  (Balletic        265 

results  in  a  sense  of  actuality  and  vividness  such 
as  never  before  has  been  attempted.  Its  weakness 
lies  in  the  transitoriness  of  the  impression,  which 
does  not  allow  the  expression  of  any  deeper  feeling 
or  meaning  of  the  moment  snatched  and  put  on 
canvas,  or  of  the  man  who  put  it  there.  The 
technical  innovation  which  Manet  introduced  and 
Monet  carried  to  the  highest  power  was  to  show 
the  colours  of  nature  in  pure  tones  juxtaposed,  not 
in  their  relative  value,  but  in  their  actual  value 
when  affected  by  sunlight.  This  truth  of  impres- 
sionistic effect  revealed  nature  incomparably  vivid, 
vibrant,  and  palpitating  with  the  light,  which  here- 
tofore had  only  been  represented  by  the  old  theory 
of  contrast  between  light  and  shade. 

Edouard  Manet  (1832-1883)  created  this  great 
movement,  which  ultimately  has  conquered  the 
schools  and  furnishes  to-day  the  stamp  of  mo- 
dernity. "  In  the  Conservatory  "  shows  a  man  and 
a  woman,  M.  and  Mme.  Guillemet,  friends  of  the 
artist,  whom  he  posed  on  the  veranda  of  his  studio 
in  the  Rue  d' Amsterdam,  before  a  group  of  exotic 
plants.  It  is  a  beautiful  painting,  of  vibrating 
colour,  rich,  pure  paint,  simple  composition,  with 
the  whole  picture  based  upon  two  or  three  values. 
His  "  Countryhome  at  Rueil "  has  all  the  mys- 
terious power  he  possessed  in  handling  sunlight. 

Claude   Monet    (bom    1840)    concentrated   his 


266      XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  aBerltn  (Balleties 

attention  upon  the  effects  of  light  and  atmosphere, 
and  has  caught  the  fleeting  beauties  of  nature's 
moods.  The  "  View  of  Vetheuil,"  with  its  wind- 
ing river,  white  churchtower  peeking  behind  the 
dark  poplars,  and  cumulous  sky,  is  tintillating  with 
sunbeams.  The  "  View  of  Argenteuil,"  with  its 
straight  row  of  cottages  in  the  middle  distance,  is 
a  song  of  pure  colour  set  in  a  high  key.  The 
"  Church  St.  Germain-Pauxerrois  in  Paris  "  gives 
the  animated  scene  of  a  Parisian  square  at  the 
summer  noon-hour. 

Pissarro,  Sisley  and  Cezanne  stand  for  the  ex- 
treme convention  of  the  impressionists.  Their 
enthusiasm  to  execute  the  theory  has  given  them  a 
mechanical,  not  an  intellectual  point  of  view. 
Theirs  is  not  a  way  of  looking  at  things  but  of 
rendering  them.  And  to  them  may  be  applied  what 
Brownell  has  well  called  "  a  certain  savagery  of 
the  impressionists."  Their  pure  colours,  without 
the  tonal  values  which  Manet  employed,  have  often 
a  feeling  of  rawness,  of  elemental  crudity,  whereby 
they  lack  the  subtleness,  the  suggestiveness  which 
is  Monet's  greatest  charm. 

Camille  Pissarro  (1830-1903)  is  shown  here  in 
a  "  Countryhouse  near  Paris,"  of  1873,  when  he 
was  more  reserved  than  he  became  later.  Alfred 
Sisley  (born  1839)  has  also  an  early  work  in  his 
"First   Snow   in  a   French  Village,"   while   Paul 


XTbe  IRoi^al  IRattonal  Galleti?        267 

Cezanne  (1839-1906),  has  a  late  "Landscape''  of 
broad  and  luminous  facture.  His  two  stillives  are 
exquisitely  truthful. 

Auguste  Renoir  (born  1844)  is  a  representative 
member  of  the  original  group.  While  less  em- 
phatic of  the  impressionist  convention  —  for  the 
impressionist  has  fallen  into  convention  —  in  his 
outdoor  work,  he  developed  in  his  interiors  the 
extreme  method  of  colour  technique  of  Pissarro, 
Sisley,  et  al.  This  is  demonstrated  by  two  pictures 
here,  his  "  Blossoming  Chestnut-tree  "  and  "  The 
Children  of  Vargemont "  —  the  one  almost  a 
Fontainebleau  picture  except  for  its  technique,  the 
other  a  pure  plein  air  painting  of  uncompromising 
colour  movement.  His  "  In  Summer  "  presents  a 
girl  in  negligee,  seated  in  an  armchair  in  the  garden 
in  full  sunlight,  which  flecks  the  foliage  behind  her. 

Edgar  Degas  (born  1834),  although  classed  with 
the  group,  has  so  personal  an  expression  that  his 
position  is  rather  unique  than  affiliated.  His  only 
alliance  with  impressionists  is  his  fondness  for  the 
momentary  aspect  of  things;  and  he  found  an 
artistic  ideal  in  one  of  the  most  artificial  subjects 
—  the  ballet-girl.  In  all  his  works  he  has  firmly 
established  the  permanence  of  the  modern  thought 
in  art:  of  just  values  and  true  impressions.  The 
three  ladies  in  most  unconventional  attitudes,  in 
his  "  Conversation,"  were  painted  from  a  genuine 


268      Zbc  Htt  ot  tbe  aBerlin  Gallertes 

and  spontaneous  impulse,  which  serves  merely  as 
a  vehicle  for  value-painting  in  colour  of  extraordi- 
nary truthfulness. 

The  universal  appeal  which  the  new  thought  and 
the  new  technique  has  made  is  seen  in  the  work 
of  so  many  who  by  no  means  are  classed  with  the 
luminists.  Yet  plein  air  painting  produced  land- 
scapes of  astonishing  reality,  and  one  of  those 
whose  conception  of  nature  was  refreshed,  almost 
renovated,  by  Manet's  example  was  Jean  Charles 
Cazin  (1841-1901).  His  "Evening  Landscape 
with  Mary  Magdalene,"  with  its  hazy  glow,  its 
looseness  of  brushwork,  and  its  poetic  suggestion, 
is  a  fine  example  of  his  work. 

One  of  the  first  Belgian  pleinairists  is  Emile 
Claus  (born  1849),  whose  "  Morning  in  February  " 
shows  a  river-stretch  through  meadows,  a  simple 
composition,  which  is  charming  for  its  freshness, 
brightness  and  buoyancy. 

The  Swedish  Anders  Zorn  (born  1860)  is  the 
strongest  Scandinavian  representative  of  the  Im- 
pressionists, who  have  had  such  great  influence 
upon  that  northern  school.  Zorn's  "  Summer 
Evening,"  in  which  a  nude  girl  is  descending  the 
cliff  to  bathe  in  the  cool  lake,  excels  in  the  perfect 
drawing  of  the  girl's  figure  and  the  luminous  mor- 
bidezza  of  the  soft  skin.  Zorn,  however,  becomes 
really  great  in  his  portraits,  whereof  "  Maja "  is 


XTbe  IRopal  National  Galleti?        269 

an  example.  A  heavy  fur  stole,  decorated  with 
foxheads,  rests  around  her  shoulders,  leaving  part 
of  the  bosom  and  the  arms  bare,  while  she  has  her 
finely  painted  hands  clasped  around  her  knee. 
Despite  the  broad  brushwork  there  is  completeness 
in  the  modelling  of  the  features,  far  superior  to 
Manet's  faces  which  always  contained  vacant  spots. 
The  half -opened  mouth,  showing  the  pearly  teeth, 
has  an  agreeable  smile  playing  around  its  corners. 

A  German  impressionist  is  Christian  Landen- 
berger  (born  1862)  whose  "Boy  Bathing,"  al- 
though fine  and  fresh  in  colour,  shows  unfortu- 
nately a  leaning  towards  the  extravagance  of  the 
school. 

The  Italian  Giovanni  Segantini  (1858-1899) 
has  a  peculiar  technical  way  of  laying  his  primary 
colours  like  threads  alongside  each  other,  relying 
on  the  optical  vision  at  the  proper  distance  to  mix 
these  to  the  chromatic  combinations  he  aims  at. 
His  "  Return  Homeward  "  is  a  characteristic  ex- 
ample, such  as  he  painted  many  during  his  last 
decade.  The  canvas,  entitled  "  Sad  Hours,"  is  a 
cattlepiece,  with  a  Millet-like  woman  seated  in  the 
meadow  near  a  boiling  pot.  The  meaning  of  the 
title  is  not  quite  evident.  The  evening  glow  over 
the  horizon  is  remarkably  clear  and  brilliant. 

Cabinet  1  may  be  called  the  Klinger  cabinet.  It 
introduces  us  to  one  of  the  great  modern  German 


270     Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  3Berltn  Gallertes 

artists  Max  Klinger  (born  1857),  whose  early- 
struggles  have  been  crowned  with  present  recog- 
nition and  success.  He  passed  through  Flaubert's 
and  Zola's  realism  to  a  more  refined  manner,  to 
the  originality  of  which  the  Philistines  becam-ei 
gradually  educated.  The  canvases  here,  seven  in 
number,  formed  part  of  the  decorative  wall- 
paintings  for  the  villa  Albers  near  Steglitz.  Seven 
others  are  now  in  the  Art  Hall  of  Hamburg.  They 
are  landscapes  and  marines  peopled  with  Centaurs, 
Tritons,  etc.,  in  Bocklin's  style,  but  of  personal 
execution. 

Cabinet  2  is  filled  with  the  remainder  of  the 
foreign  works.  The  modern  Spaniards  Zuloaga 
and  Sorolla  stand  out  strong  amongst  these.  The 
"  Spanish  Peasants,"  by  Ignacio  Zuloaga  (born 
1870),  are  picturesque  types,  seated  around  a 
dinner-table  in  the  open  air.  The  white  shirt  of 
the  one  with  his  back  to  us  is  a  marvellous  piece 
of  painting,  while  the  one  seated  behind  the  table, 
cutting  the  bread  held  with  his  knotty  hands,  is 
strongly  drawn.  The  faces  of  the  other  two, 
directly  fronting  us,  are  too  coarse,  almost  impish, 
to  give  us  a  favourable  conception  of  the  Iberian 
lower-class. 

Two  Valencia  coast  scenes,  one  with  fishermen, 
the  other  with  boys  bathing  are  by  Sorolla  y  Bastida 
(born   1862),   who  is  especially   fortunate  in  his 


XTbe  IRoi^al  National  Galleti?        271 

sunlight  effect  upon  moving  water.  Less  typically 
Spanish  than  Zuloaga,  Sorolla  is  more  inclined  to 
the  French  plein  air  school. 

The  Italian  Giovanni  Boldini  (born  1845), 
whose  eccentricities  in  the  painting  of  women 
border  on  the  grotesque,  has  here  a  portrait  of 
Menzel,  painted  when  the  great  German  was  eighty 
years.  It  is  a  serious  work,  in  which  the  physiog- 
nomic lines  are  fully  emphasized,  while  the  peculiar 
pose,  only  the  upper  part  of  the  chest  with  the 
broad  shoulders  and  head  being  shown,  and  the 
decorative  background,  makes  it  one  of  the  best 
works  Boldini  has  ever  produced. 

The  Scandinavians  are  represented  by  Thaulow 
and  Hammershoi.  Fritz  Thaulow  (1847-1906), 
the  Norwegian,  is  a  thorough  French  naturalist, 
with  an  individual  mannerism  which  greatly  added 
to  his  popularity.  His  "  November  day  in  Nor- 
mandy "  is  a  fair  example  of  his  work.  The  Dane 
Vilhelm  Hammershoi  (born  1864)  is  far  more 
original.  His  "  Sunny  Room "  is  the  simplest 
composition  imaginable  —  an  antique  mahogany 
sofa  standing  in  the  corner  of  a  room,  four  prints 
in  dark-wood  frames  on  the  wall,  and  right  in  the 
front  corner  part  of  a  mahogany  console.  But  the 
play  of  light,  the  reflections  in  the  dark,  shining 
wood,  give  masterful  display  of  values.  It  is  a 
tonal  painting  of  great  depth  and  richness. 


272      Xlbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

The  most  progressive  of  modern  English  artists 
are  found  in  the  so-called  Glasgow  school,  which 
is  here  represented  by  three  of  its  leading  men. 
Macaulay  Stevenson  (born  1860),  called  "the 
Moonlighter  "  because  of  his  preference  for  night- 
scenes,  has  such  an  effect  in  the  "  Jairus  Dike ; " 
and  John  Lochhead  (born  1866)  has  depicted  a 
"  Village  in  Fifeshire,  Scotland."  Both  are  painted 
in  that  modification,  or  rather  moderation  of  im- 
pressionism, which  was  peculiar  to  the  Glasgow 
school.  John  La  very  (born  1856)  has  vogue  as  a 
portrait  painter,  but  the  "  Lady  in  Black  "  here  is 
not  attractive.  The  profile  of  the  model  does  not 
lend  itself  for  the  pose  the  artist  gave  her,  while 
the  left  hand  and  wrist  which  support  the  chin  are 
ludicrously  elongated. 

Only  two  landscapes  remain  to  be  considered. 
These  are  examples  of  the  modern  Dutch  school. 
Anton  Mauve  (1838-1888)  was  the  painter  of 
sheep  and  cattle  in  the  heath,  meadows  or  dune- 
stretches  of  Holland.  His  "  Landscape  with 
Cattle  "  which  we  find  here  has  that  hazy  atmos- 
phere that  envelopes  everything  in  its  mysterious 
folds.  It  has  that  fascinating  spell  which  all  his 
paintings  cast  over  us  because  of  their  quiet  beauty, 
their  serenity,  their  cheerful  joy. 

The  "Canal,"  by  Jacob  Maris  (1837-1899),  is 
not  properly  named  in  the  catalogue.    There  are  no 


Ube  IRoi^al  Battonal  Wallers        273 

canals  in  Holland  spanned  by  heavy  stone  bridges 
with  three  arches  as  we  see  it  here.  This  is  appar- 
ently a  view  on  the  River  Waal,  with  many  houses 
and  a  large  church  on  the  further  bank,  and  ships 
lying  at  the  docks.  It  is  an  animated,  picturesque 
scene.  But  Maris  was  above  all  a  sky-painter,  and 
in  this  picture  more  than  two-thirds  of  the  canvas 
is  filled  by  the  sky,  with  .wind-driven  cumuli 
against  an  azure  background,  here  and  there 
thickened  to  grey  cloudmasses. 

The  collection  of  30,000  drawings  and  water- 
colours  is  found  in  Cabinets  3  and  4,  and  in  Gallery 
VI,  Corridor  VII  and  Gallery  VIII.  Almost  all 
the  German  artists  who  used  the  burin,  the  crayon, 
or  the  sable  brush  are  represented  here,  as  well  as 
a  number  of  foreign  artists.  We  cannot  commence 
to  describe  this  collection,  but  must  leave  it  for 
individual  inspection. 

Thus  we  have  returned  to  Room  I  where  we 
begin  our  review  of  the  works  of  the  German  school 
to  which  the  National  Gallery  is  principally  devoted, 
and  where  we  find  the  men  of  the  first  half  of  the 
nineteenth  century. 

But  before  we  do  this  it  will  be  helpful  first  to 
give  a  cursory  review  of  German  art  during  the 
nineteenth  century,  so  that  we  may  be  better  able 
to  understand  the  group-relations  of  the  different 
men  we  shall  meet. 


274       trbe  art  ot  tbe  Berlin  ©alleries 

At  the  beginning  of  the  century  German  art 
was  under  the  abject  control  of  the  influences  of 
David  and  the  French  Academy.  Napoleon's 
supremacy  in  every  part  of  the  continent  of  Europe 
by  force  of  arms  was  supplemented  by  a  voluntary 
subjection  to  French  culture.  It  was  Goethe  who 
gave  the  first  impetus  for  a  loosening  of  the  bonds 
by  his  advocacy  of  naturalism  towards  what  he 
called  a  "  patriotic  art."  His  greatest  opponent 
was  von  Schadow,  the  leader  of  the  Berlin  artists, 
who  would  adhere  to  academic  dicta,  and  would 
have  none  of  independently  developed  artists,  who 
turned  to  nature.  Von  Schadow's  tenaciousness 
triumphed,  for  not  until  after  the  half  of  the  cen- 
tury had  passed,  and  long  after  the  academic  yoke 
had  been  shaken  off  in  France,  did  German  art 
escape  the  trammels  of  professorial  dictation  and 
classic  imitation. 

For  classicism  was  at  the  bottom  of  all  German 
art.  Even  when  a  group  of  German  artists  in 
Rome,  Cornelius,  Schadow,  Veit,  Overbeck, 
Schnorr  von  Carolsfeld,  called  the  Nazarenes, 
sought  to  revive  art,  it  was  but  a  striving  for  a 
revival  of  the  classic  past.  They  had  ambitions 
like  the  later  Pre-Raphaelites  in  England,  only 
it  was  Pre-Riaphaelitism  without  poetic  impulse. 
They  were  inspired  by  the  monumental,  the  ideal, 
the   grand,   but    still   hidebound   by   the    rules   of 


trbe  IRoi^al  Iftational  Pallets         27^ 

the  schools  —  line  upon  line,  precept  upon  pre- 
cept. 

When  these  men  returned  to  Germany  they  dif- 
fused their  teaching  but  did  not  find  pupils  strong 
enough  to  comprehend  their  meaning.  Cornelius 
went  to  Munich  and  founded  a  school  which  aimed 
at  great,  grand  things  but  accomplished  little,  until 
under  Piloty,  after  the  middle  of  the  century,  it 
developed  into  a  school  of  historical  painting  and 
large  genre. 

Schadow  started  the  school  of  Dusseldorf  about 
1825,  and  from  the  first  it  became  noted  for  its 
academic  presentation  of  more  intimate  genre,  with 
the  sentimental,  the  dramatic,  or  the  romantic 
subject. 

In  the  middle  of  the  century  French  realism 
stirred  some  of  the  dead  bones  in  this  dismal  valley, 
and  Menzel  must  be  noted  as  the  prophet  whose 
teaching  and  example  had  far  reaching  influence. 
Still  the  racial  Teutonic  characteristic  of  anecdotal 
painting  was  never  lost. 

The  birth  of  United  Germany  was  also  the  birth 
of  a  new  art.  The  political  alienation  and  the  racial 
antagonism  consequent  to  the  war  of  1870  resulted 
in  a  total  abandonment  of  Paris  for  a  number  of 
years,  and  an  ambitious  turning  to  national  themes 
and  national  surroundings.  These  new  ambitions, 
stirred  by  patriotic  pride,  may  well  be  claimed  to 


276     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  Galleries 

have  been  the  true  inspiration  of  the  Modern  Ger- 
man School.  There  was  no  intercourse  for  some 
time  with  Paris,  the  Mecca  of  art;  French  paint- 
ings were  not  seen  in  German  exhibitions  for  many- 
years.  The  German  artists  were  to  a  large  extent 
thrown  on  their  own  resources,  and  Holland  was 
virtually  the  only  country  visited  by  them  in  foreign 
travel.  This  accounts  for  the  strong  influence  the 
Dutch  school  of  Israels  and  the  Marises  exerted 
on  so  many.  Then  men  appeared  who  infused  new 
thoughts  into  their  work  by  idealizing  their  natural 
surroundings.  Men  like  Leibl,  Liebermann,  Uhde, 
Thoma,  worked  with  freedom  and  original  concep- 
tion. The  Munich  Secession  movement,  the  Dachau 
school  of  landscape  painting,  the  vigorous  plein 
air  work  of  the  cattle  painter  Ziigel,  and  von 
Marees,  Bocklin,  Stuck,  Klinger,  Habermann  fol- 
lowed a  way  of  new  idealism,  which  ushered  the 
German  school  of  painting  to  a  front  rank  in 
Modern  art. 

Our  introduction  to  nineteenth  century  German 
art  is  had  in  Room  I  with  several  portraits  by 
eighteenth  century  artists. 

The  name  of  Johann  Heinrich  Tischbein  (1722- 
1789)  is  well-known  because  the  work  of  this 
prolific  and  much-travelled  artist  reached  France, 
Holland  and  England  even  during  his  lifetime. 
His  style  was  moulded  on  that  of  Charles  van  Loo 


Ube  IRoigal  National  Oallerp        277 

in  whose  studio  he  learned  the  accepted  popular 
manner  of  portrait  painting.  It  is  exemplified  in  a 
portrait-group  here,  in  which  Tischbein  himself 
appears,  and  in  a  portrait  of  C.  F.  Robert,  a  Coun- 
cillor of  the  Hessian  Court.  His  portrait  of  G.  C. 
Lessing  has  the  additional  interest  of  being  the 
earliest  known  portrait  of  the  famous  poet  and 
philosopher,  the  author  of  Laocoon. 

The  painter  whose  name  is  most  mentioned  in 
connection  with  this  period  of  fallowness  was 
Raphael  Mengs  (1728-1779),  whose  self-portrait  is 
found  here.  Mengs  was  the  painter  of  good  taste 
—  the  only  ideal  that  then  held  sway.  His  aim 
was  the  beautiful,  which  he  sought  not  so  much  in 
nature  as  by  the  study  of  the  antique,  and  the  imi- 
tation of  Raphael's  followers,  the  baroque  of  the 
Maratta  school.  An  artist  of  the  same  stamp  was 
Anna  Therbusch  (1722-1782),  whose  portrait  of 
Henrietta  Herz,  as  Hebe,  has  the  superficial  sweet- 
ness and  decorative  ornamentation  of  the  decadent 
Frenchmen  of  the  time. 

A  far  stronger  man  than  Mengs  was  Anton 
Graff  (1739-1813).  He  also  has  here  a  portrait 
of  Henrietta  Herz,  a  famous  Jewish  beauty,  whose 
salon  was  for  decades  a  rendezvous  for  the  cul- 
tured minds  of  Berlin.  There  is  more  intellectuality 
ennobling  her  beautiful  features  than  in  the  sugary 
sweetness  which  Anna  Therbusch  depicted.     Graff 


278     Ube  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

was  a  man  who  went  his  own  reaHstic  way  with- 
out concerning  himself  much  about  the  quibbhngs 
of  the  aesthetics.  He  even  proclaimed  in  writings 
the  principles  he  designed  to  follow,  that  "  man  is 
the  highest,  unexplainable  miracle  in  creation.  But 
that  whosoever  surmounts  the  habituated  familiar- 
ity with  an  appearance  to  which  he  has  become 
accustomed,  will  acquire  the  knowledge,  the  science 
to  perceive  through  the  features  and  form,  through 
the  physiognomy,  the  very  soul  of  man."  This 
made  him  a  portrait  painter  par  excellence.  He 
sought  to  put  the  soul  of  his  sitter  in  his  counter- 
feit. Where  Reynolds'  greatness  lies  in  the  fact 
that  unconsciously  his  artist's  soul  supervened  his 
orderly  artistic  execution  —  whereby  he  practised 
better  than  he  preached  —  Graff's  greatness  lies  in 
that  his  artistic  searching  surmounted  and  pre- 
dominated his  brushwork.  We  need  but  look  at 
his  self-portrait,  at  the  portrait  of  Pastor  Spalding, 
in  his  chamber-cloak,  or  at  the  portrait  of  a  lady 
with  a  high  powdered  wig,  to  acknowledge  that  a 
master  of  keen  perception  has  painted  here  human 
documents  of  great  discernment  and  truthfulness. 
The  portrait  of  Count  Prey  sing,  by  J.  G.  von 
Edlinger  (1741-1819),  a  contemporary  of  Graff, 
lacks  his  spiritual  depth,  but  is  technically  as  strong 
in  colour  impasto  and  broad  brushwork.  The  por- 
traits  by   Friedrich   Georg   Weitsch    (1758-1828) 


tCbe  IRo^al  "fflatlonal  6allet^         279 

are  scarcely  interesting,  except  the  one  of  Alex- 
ander von  Humboldt,  the  great  naturalist,  which 
is  apparently  carried  forward  by  the  inspiration 
of  the  subject. 

With  Heinrich  Fiiger  (1751-1818)  we  approach 
the  academic  rule  which  kept  firm  hold  on  German 
art  for  so  long  a  period.  Fiiger  was  in  Vienna 
what  David  was  in  Paris,  an  autocrat,  whose  influ- 
ence was  felt  throughout  Germany  until  the  Dus- 
seldorf  days  of  Cornelius,  when  it  was  not  lost 
but  only  slightly  modified.  His  stately  portrait  of 
Princess  Galitzin  is  painted  purely  according  to 
formula,  its  very  perfection  militating  against 
approval.  As  rigidly  correct  and  as  nerveless  is 
the  "  Landscape  near  Partenkirchen,**  by  Johann 
Bidermann  (1763-1830).  Also  the  works  of 
Joseph  Koch  (1768-1839),  Italian  landscapes  with 
buildings,  show  that  same  idiosyncrasy  of  having 
too  much  skeleton,  and  too  little  soul. 

The  founder  of  the  Dusseldorf  school,  Wilhelm 
von  Schadow  (1789-1862),  who  forsook  his  early 
connection  with  the  Nazarenes  for  a  slavish  fol- 
lowing of  David  and  Gros,  is  shown  here  by  a 
portrait  of  a  lady,  with  an  Italian  landscape  back- 
ground, and  a  portrait-group  of  himself,  his 
brother  Rudolf  Schadow  the  sculptor,  and  the 
Danish  sculptor  Thorwaldsen.  Portraits  of  Cor- 
nelius, of  Overbeck,  of  Veit  and  of  the  landscape 


28o      XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 

painter  Reinhart,  are  by  Eduard  von  Heuss  (1808- 
1880),  a  painter  whose  faithful  study  of  Rem- 
brandt, Rubens,  and  other  old  masters  is  evidenced 
in  his  work. 

The  aims  and  aspirations  of  the  so-called  Naza- 
renes  may  be  studied  most  completely  in  the  corner- 
room  II,  where  eight  fresco  paintings  are  exposed, 
the  so-called  "  Casa  Bartholdy  "  paintings.  These 
were  painted  between  1816  and  1818  for  the  Prus- 
sian Consul  General  Bartholdy  to  decorate  his 
Roman  villa.  They  concern  the  story  of  Joseph's 
sojourn  in  Egypt,  and  Cornelius,  Overbeck,  Veit 
and  von  Schadow  each  contributed  one  or  more  of 
these  scenes. 

Dissatisfied  with  the  stern  rigidness  of  the 
Academy  in  Vienna,  Overbeck,  Pforr,  Schnorr  von 
Carolsfeld,  and  other  young  artists  left  for  Italy 
in  1810  to  seek  the  atmosphere  which  should 
deliver  them  into  freedom.  They  had  ideals,  and 
what  these  were  is  indicated  by  their  leaving  Flor- 
ence with  its  Hellenism  aside,  and  setting  their 
face  towards  Rome  with  its  classicism.  They 
gathered  in  an  abandoned  cloister,  San  Isidoro, 
each  choosing  a  cell,  and  using  the  Refectory  as 
communal  workshop.  Schadow  and  Veit  soon 
joined  them  from  Berlin,  and  the  next  year  Peter 
Cornelius.  They  were  pious,  they  would  lief  be 
ascetic,  and  called  themselves  Nazarenes  to  show 


TL\)c  "Roi^al  Hattonal  Gallery         281 

their  somewhat  mystic  spirit.  Their  artistic  aim 
was  serious.  Art  to  them  had  only  been  great  when 
inspired  by  piety,  and  only  those  artists  not  yet 
touched  by  pagan  influences  could  be  followed.  The 
old  masters  between  Giotto  and  Raphael  were  their 
exemplars,  and  they  considered  that  the  great  mas- 
ter Raphael  had  erred  in  leaving  Perugino.  Of 
Giulio  Romano  they  would  have  nothing.  Thus 
linear  and  aerial  perspective  were  purposely 
avoided.  Their  colour  was  bright  and  the  figures 
usually  flat.  Schadow's  presence,  however,  is 
accountable  for  it  that  after  all  the  academic  prac- 
tice was  not  left  far  out  of  sight  —  which  led  the 
way  to  the  quick  evaporation  of  all  these  high- 
flowing  ideals.  Still,  theirs  was  not  an  empty 
eclecticism,  but  a  very  serious,  if  abortive,  striving 
for  a  new  birth  of  art. 

In  the  height  of  this  enthusiasm  the  Casa  Bar- 
tholdy  frescoes  were  painted.  The  selection  of 
Joseph's  story  is  said  to  have  been  made  because  it 
was  decided  that  a  sacred  subject  should  be  pre- 
sented, and  since  the  members  of  the  group  were 
Jews,  Protestants  or  Catholics  —  most  of  them 
went  later  over  to  Catholicism  —  it  was  agreed 
that  in  this  story  all  could  express  themselves  with- 
out giving  offense  to  one  another's  creed. 

Peter  Cornelius  (1783-1867)  painted  "Joseph 
explains  Pharaoh's  Dream  "  and  "  The  Recognition 


282       XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  JScrlin  Oalleries 

of  Joseph  and  his  Brethren"  (Plate  XXXVII). 
The  latter  painting  is  representative  of  the  style 
and  manner  of  the  entire  group.  Friedrich  Over- 
beck  (1789-1869)  painted  "Joseph  Sold"  and 
"The  Seven  Lean  Years."  Philipp  Veit  (1793- 
1877)  presented  "Joseph  and  Potiphar's  Wife" 
and  "  The  Seven  Fat  Years,"  and  Wilhelm  von 
Schadow  (1789-1862)  "Jacob's  Lamentation"  and 
"  Joseph  in  Prison." 

These  paintings  were  considered  epoch-making  in 
the  generation  following.  They  resulted  in  the 
dethronement  of  Mengs,  in  the  utter  contempt  for 
French  baroque  and  rococo  style  —  but  Cornelius 
came  to  the  Dusseldorf  Academy,  and  later  to 
Munich,  and  lost  his  mysticism.  Schadow  followed 
Cornelius  in  Dusseldorf  and  founded  the  Dusseldorf 
school  —  ingrained  academic  with  a  romantic  touch. 
Overbeck  became  a  Roman  church-painter,  as  devout 
in  executing  papal  commissions  as  the  early  Italian 
masters.  And  the  ultimate  decadence  of  the  group 
is  exemplified  in  an  "  Annunciation,"  by  Julius 
Schnorr  von  Carolsfeld  (1794-1872),  which  hangs 
at  the  entrance  of  Room  I,  where  we  now  return, 
and  which  is  an  exact  facsimile  of  a  Quattrocento 
Italian  painting. 

Descending  the  stairway  we  find  hanging  there 
an  immense  canvas  by  Hans  Makart  (1840-1884), 
"  Venice  pays  Homage  to  Catharina  Cornaro."    It 


Mk 

1^ 

r^^p:^ 

-*'^™^ 

'J 

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im 

3i 

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It 

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^^^^^^^^^^IHHHI^^^^^^B- "^ 

XTbe  IRc^al  mattonal  Oallcx^        283 

is  the  only  work  by  Makart  in  the  museum,  and  is 
a  supreme  effort  of  decorative  artistry,  in  which 
the  painter  has  not  even  made  use  of  the  nude  to 
enhance  the  opulent  splendour  of  his  creation. 

We  will  pass  through  the  Vestibule,  the  Cupola 
Room  and  the  Menzel  Gallery,  and  enter  the  Cor- 
nelius Gallery,  so  that  we  may  complete  our  inspec- 
tion of  his  work.  The  gallery  is  filled  with  the 
Cartoons,  prepared  by  Cornelius  for  fresco  paintings 
which  King  Friedrich  Wilhelm  IV  planned  to  use 
for  the  decoration  of  a  Princes'  Mausoleum, 
"  Campo  Santo,"  the  erection  of  which  was  never 
undertaken  —  the  present  Dom  in  Berlin  occupies 
the  space  set  aside  for  it.  This  gigantic  task  occu- 
pied the  time  of  Cornelius  from  1841,  when  he  was 
called  to  Berlin,  until  the  year  of  his  death,  1877. 
In  it  he  designed  to  express  his  highest  artistic  ideal, 
to  create  a  Christian  epic  on  canvas.  He  designed 
to  show  in  this  last  resting-place  of  princes,  the 
higher  thought  of  the  destiny  of  men,  as  revealed 
in  various  places  of  the  Apocalypse.  The  designs 
are  severe,  almost  to  baldness,  yet  grandly  expres- 
sive. Between  these  main  designs  there  were  to  be 
eight  representations  of  the  Beatitudes.  In  all  their 
strength  and  in  their  failings  we  may  regard  these 
works  as  the  final  word  of  the  art  of  Cornelius  — 
of  a  great  master,  but  not  a  creative  genius. 

In  the  apsis  of  this  Gallery  we  find  five  biblical 


284     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  ^Berlin  Galleries 


NATIONAL    CALURT 

Second    Floor 


• .     J    > 


ADOLF 
MENZEL 


TAFELRUNDE   IN   SANS  -  SOUCI,    1750 
Plate   XXXVIII 


National 
Gallery 


Zbc  IRo^al  IRattonal  Gallery         285 

• 

landscapes  with  figures,  scenes  from  the  life  of 
Abraham,  by  Johann  Wilhelm  Schirmer  (1807- 
1863),  the  last  of  the  followers  of  the  Nazarenes. 
With  him  and  with  Lessing  romanticism  commenced 
to  enter  into  German  landscape. 

We  return  now  to  the  Gallery  dedicated  to  the 
memory  of  Adolf  Menzel  (1815-1905)  who  exerted 
the  most  powerful  influence  on  German  art  during 
the  third  quarter  of  the  nineteenth  century.  His 
mission  was  to  infuse  into  the  stilted  academicism 
the  more  vigorous  life  of  romanticism  and  realism, 
which  had  then  already  redeemed  French  art.  With 
Menzel  it  always  bore  the  stamp  of  Germanic  indi- 
viduality. With  extraordinary  vigour  and  origi- 
nality of  observation,  with  inexhaustible  patience  to 
learn  and  to  know,  with  inborn  readiness  for  the 
sure  line  to  depict  the  truth  honestly,  with  a  feeling 
for  colour  in  its  purity  and  light-absorption,  wherein 
he  became  a  forerunner  of  the  Impressionists  — 
thus  was  Menzel  equipped  to  stir,  by  precept  and 
example,  German  art  to  new  fields  of  endeavour. 

In  the  Menzel  Room  and  in  the  corner-gallery  IV 
we  find  over  two  score  of  his  works  displayed. 
These  range  from  studies  of  horseheads,  arms,  fists, 
military  equipments,  to  his  wonderful  conversation 
pieces  and  his  historical  pictures.  One  of  the  most 
famous  is  the  "  Tafelrunde  in  Sans-souci,  1750 " 
(Plate  XXXVIII),  a  perfect  mosaic  of  harmonious 


286      Ube  art  of  tbe  JSetltn  Galleries 

colours,  and  eloquent  in  its  expressive  drawing. 
The  young  king  Frederick  II  is  seated  facing  us, 
with  those  in  his  immediate  neighbourhood  listening 
to  Voltaire  who  is  the  second  to  the  right  of  the 
king.  The  "  Flute  Concert  '*  is  a  composition  of 
equal  distinction.  The  master's  versatility  is  shown 
when  we  turn  to  the  "  Balcony  Room,"  an  interior 
of  simple  arrangement  in  which,  however,  the  play 
of  sunlight  is  of  masterful  handling.  Then  again  we 
note  "  The  Iron  Foundry  "  —  an  heroic  poem  glori- 
fying labour.  It  was  a  new  art  to  represent  the 
working  man,  without  the  supercilious  smile  of  the 
morality  painter,  nor  the  irony  of  the  reformer, 
but  in  his  vigorous  toil,  in  his  exertion  and  his 
strength.  In  the  "Berlin-Potsdam  Railway,"  and 
in  the  "  Building  Operations  in  a  Meadow,"  we  find 
landscape  art  of  the  highest  order.  Also  as  a  por- 
traitist, as  seen  in  the  portrait  of  "  Miss  Arnold  " 
and  in  the  "  Evening  Company,"  Menzel  shows  his 
high  rank. 

At  the  entrance  wall  of  this  gallery  we  find  a  few 
large  battle  paintings  by  Franz  Adam  (1815-1886) 
commemorating  the  Franco-Prussian  War. 

Beginning  with  the  Cupola  Room  we  will  now 
make  the  round  of  the  galleries  on  this  floor.  Most 
of  the  paintings  belong  to  the  Dusseldorf  and 
Munich  schools.  There  is  a  wearying  sameness, 
rarely  broken,  little  originality,  and  a  constant  echo 


Ubc  IRo^al  National  6aUet^        287 

of  foreign  influences.  Now  and  then  we  will  meet 
men  who,  if  they  do  not  create,  at  least  reflect  so 
well,  and  such  fine  rays  too,  that  we  will  gladly 
admit  that  their  originality  might  have  been  worse 
than  their  receptivity.  It  is  poor  consolation,  for- 
sooth, still  it  will  cheer  us  occasionally  in  the  very 
doldrums  of  mediocrity. 

The  portraits  of  Emperor  and  King  Wilhelm  I, 
and  of  the  Empress  and  Queen  Augusta,  by  Bern- 
hard  Plockhorst  (1825-1907)  are  official  documents 
of  conventional  rectitude.  Plockhorst's  better- 
known  genre  was  as  punctilious.  His  stories  were 
always  true  stories,  without  any  flight  of  fancy, 
always  perfectly  proper  —  and  harmless.  Two  large 
military  paintings,  by  Werner  Schuch  (born  1843), 
display  graphically  German  victories  in  the  French 
wars  of  the  eighteenth  century. 

The  corner-room  I  is  entirely  filled  with  a  collec- 
tion of  aquarelles,  gouaches  and  drawings  by  Adolf 
Menzel,  among  which  his  leaves  of  a  Children  Album 
are  best  known  and  most  attractive. 

The  Corridor  which  we  now  enter  admits  us  to 
the  Dusseldorf  school.  The  "Dice-players,"  by 
Claus  Meyer  (born  1856),  is  worthy  of  a  professor 
at  the  Dusseldorf  Academy.  The  "  Salon-Tyroler," 
by  Franz  von  Defregger  (1835-1909)  is  well- 
known  through  reproductions.  Andreas  Achenbach 
(1815-1900)  lends  variety  by  a  "  Dutch  Harbour," 


288      TLbc  Hrt  of  tbe  JBetltn  Galleries 

while  Karl  Friedrich  Lessing  (1808-1880)  is  more 
energetic  in  a  "  Storm  in  the  Eifel  Country."  Gil- 
bert von  Canal  (born  1849)  has  a  "  Westphalian 
Mill  "of  good,  cool  colour-effect.  Christian  Bolcel- 
mann  (1844-1894),  in  his  "Alone,"  is,  as  always, 
anecdotal,  and  Dutch  in  technique.  Benjamin  Vau- 
tier  (1829-1898)  also  tells  stories  in  his  "First 
Dancing  Lesson  "  and  "  At  the  Sick-bed." 

In  Gallery  II  we  find  another  Defregger,  "  Return 
of  the  Tyroler  Reserves  in  1809  "  (Plate  XXXIX), 
which  is  typical  of  his  style,  although  more  elab- 
orate than  usual.  Karl  Hertel  (1837-1895)  is 
harmlessly  funny  in  his  "  Young  Germany  at 
School."  Franz  Adam  always  painted  military 
subjects ;  he  himself  had  taken  part  in  the  Austrian 
wars  with  Hungary  and  Italy.  His  "  Retreat  of 
the  French  from  Russia "  is  very  effective  and 
dramatic.  We  find  here  landscapes  —  very  prim, 
detailed,  and  prettily  arranged,  by  Ed.  Schleich 
(1812-1874),  Oswald  Achenbach  (1827-1905), 
Anton  Teichlein  (1820-1879),  Heinrich  Schilbach 
(1798-1858),  and  Otto  Dorr  (1831-1868). 

Refreshing  among  these  conventional  productions 
is  a  small  canvas  by  Karl  Buchholz  (1849-1889), 
called  "Springtime  in  Ehringsdorf  "  (Plate  XL). 
It  is  a  charming  scene,  painted  when  the  artist  was 
but  nineteen,  and  shows  great  love  for  the  bright 
side  of  nature. 


•  3      »    .    »      '        »       » 


KARL 
BUCHHOLZ 


SPRINGTIME  IN  EHRINGSDORF 
Plate    XL 


National 
Gallery 


trbe  IRo^al  IRattonal  Galleri?        289 

The  most  thorough-paced  academician  here,  both 
in  technique  and  subject,  is  Johann  Hasenclever 
(1810-1853).  His  "  Wineprovers  in  the  Cellar" 
is  a  typical  work.  The  story  tells  itself,  the  different 
expressions  on  the  faces  of  the  cognoscenti  being 
the  humourous  object  of  the  artist.  Also  his  "  Read- 
ingroom,"  which  has  a  fine  lamplight  effect,  reads 
like  a  novelette. 

Rudolf  Henneberg  (1825-1876)  was  a  better 
artist,  who  from  his  study  with  Couture  acquired 
stronger  qualifications  —  romantic  colour,  greater 
vigour  of  presentation,  and  withal  a  fanciful  imagin- 
ing not  often  met  with  at  the  time.  His  "  Pursuing 
Fortune "  is  well-known  through  reproductions, 
while  "The  Wild  Hunter"  (Plate  XLI)  is  a 
graphic  pictograph  of  Biirger's  ballade  of  that 
title. 

In  Cabinet  1  we  find  several  works  by  Dresden 
artists  of  this  period,  the  beginning  and  middle  of 
the  nineteenth  century.  The  only  noteworthy  painter 
apparently  was  Kaspar  David  Friedrich  (1774- 
1840),  whose  landscapes  seem  to  have  been  the  first 
with  Germanic  feeling.  In  mountain  scenery  and 
coast  views  he  was  equally  successful. 

Cabinet  2  contains  the  work  of  Munich  men,  but 
not  of  those  whose  names  have  become  familiar. 
Karl  Spitzweg  (1808-1885)  was  lighthearted  and 
droll,  and  his  humour  often  makes  his  scenes  enjoy- 


290     Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

able.  His  "  Streetscene  in  Verice  "  and  "  Ladies 
bathing  at  Dieppe  "  are  more  serious  and  have  good 
quality.  Peter  Hess  (1792-1871)  painted  the  con- 
ventional peasant  scenes  where  the  participants 
always  wear  their  Sunday-clothes.  His  "  St.  Leon- 
ard's Festival  in  Bavaria "  is  a  good  example. 
August  Riedel  (1802-1883)  has  some  "  Girls  Bath- 
ing," who  are  so  very  pink  that  one  thinks  of  ice- 
water  rather  than  of  summer-refreshment. 

In  Cabinet  3  are  gathered  the  Viennese  artists. 
Moritz  von  Schwind  (1804-1871)  was  among  the 
leaders  in  the  Danube  city,  but  his  costumed  groups 
and  commonplace  recital  have  long  lost  their  savour. 
In  "  The  Rose,  or  the  Artist's  Wanderings  "  he  tries 
to  be  humourous,  with  little  satisfaction  to  the  be- 
holder. So  is  the  "  Adventure  of  the  Artist  Binder," 
whose  sweetheart  surprises  him  at  his  work,  not 
feverishly  exciting.  Ferdinand  Waldmiiller  (1793- 
1865)  was  a  naturalist  in  his  landscapes,  and  several 
of  these  from  the  neighbourhood  of  Vienna  are 
quite  satisfactory.  Eduard  von  Steinle  (1810-1886), 
who  later  became  teacher  at  the  Stadelsche  Institute 
in  Frankfort,  has  a  portrait  of  his  little  daughter 
in  her  school-clothes  which  is  by  no  means  pretty, 
and  yet  attracts  by  a  certain  fidelity  and  sincerity. 
It  must  be  said  that  the  Viennese  artists  of  this 
period  surpassed  all  the  Germans  in  their  attempt 
at  realism.     August  von  Pettenkofen  (1822-1889), 


Ube  iRopal  IRattonal  Galleri^       291 

with  his  "  Gipsies  Resting "  furnishes  a  striking 
example. 

The  fourth  Cabinet  is  consecrated  to  the  BerHn 
painter  Karl  Blechen  (1798-1840).  Some  thirty  of 
his  pictures  and  sketches  are  found  here.  It  is 
apparent  that  his  local  connection  as  teacher  at  the 
Berlin  Academy  is  accountable  for  this  preferential 
treatment.  Still  we  find  in  his  work,  thus  early,  a 
feeling  for  pleinairism  which  is  remarkable,  and 
often  a  violent  effectiveness  —  note  his  "  Tree 
struck  by  Lightning "  —  which,  though  it  lacks 
subtler  qualities,  is  very  impressive. 

Other  Berlin  painters  are  found  in  Cabinet  5  and 
in  Gallery  III.  Franz  Kruger  (1797-1875)  was 
famous  as  a  horse  painter,  and  several  examples  of 
his  work  are  found  here.  He  may  not  be  compared, 
however,  with  the  contemporary  French  horse 
painter  Horace  Vernet.  His  academicism  is  espe- 
cially noticeable  when  he  adds  the  human  figure,  as 
seen  in  "Prince  Wilhelm  and  the  Artist"  (Plate 
XLII)  which  looks  like  a  fashionplate  of  riding 
costumes. 

The  titles  of  the  pictures  of  the  genre  painter 
Eduard  Meyerheim  (1808-1879)  tell  their  own 
story  —  "The  King  of  the  Sharpshooters,"  "The 
Bowlers,"  "  The  First  Step,"  and  so  on.  Also  his 
son,  Paul  Meyerheim,  (born  1842),  now  teacher  at 
the  BerHn  Academy,  chooses  like  subjects.     His 


292      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Oallertes 

"  Menagerie,'*  with  a  crowd  of  people  in  a  circus 
tent,  is  slickty  painted,  as  if  this  much-travelled 
•artist  had  never  seen  the  broader  and  more  vigorous 
method  of  the  later  men.  Eduard  Gaertner  (1801- 
1877)  was  at  his  best  in  city  views  of  Berlin, 
whereof  we  find  here  three  examples. 

The  best  illustration  of  the  formal,  conventional 
style  of  the  entire  first  half  of  the  century  we  will 
perhaps  find  in  a  recently  acquired  work  of  Karl 
Friedrich  Schinkel  (1781-1841),  who  was  also  an 
architect.  This  "  Ideal  Landscape  "  (Plate  XLIII), 
strictly  built  on  classic  lines,  with  all  the  minute 
detail  of  leaves  and  twigs,  and  closely  observing  in 
drawing  and  colour  the  precepts  of  the  academy, 
represents  all  the  landscape  work  of  that  period. 
The  "  ideal  "  of  its  title  can  only  refer  to  the  total 
absence  of  any  naturalism. 

In  Gallery  III  we  find  the  literary  character  of 
the  school  exemplified.  The  "  Procession  of  Death," 
by  Gustav  Spangenberg  (1828-1891)  presents  a 
weird  spectacle.  A  long  line  of  people  of  all  sorts 
and  conditions  of  life,  beggar  and  bishop,  merchant 
and  monk,  children  and  cripples,  follow  a  skeleton, 
queerly  dressed  in  a  white  gown,  girdled,  and  cov- 
ered with  a  red  cloak  and  hood.  The  meaning  is 
as  banal  as  the  manner  of  painting.  But  such  was 
the  style  en  vogue,  and  Ludwig  Knaus  (1829-1909), 
the  most  popular  artist  of  his  day,  painted  in  exactly 


FRANZ 
KRUGER 


PRINCE  WILHELM  AND  THE  ARTIST 
Plate  XLii 


National 
Gallery 


XTbe  IRopal  IRational  Oalleti?       293 

the  same  manner.  He  was,  however,  more  cheerful 
of  mind,  and  added  some  distinction  to  his  very- 
correct,  and  carefully  executed  compositions.  His 
"Children's  Banquet,"  with  the  sub-title  "As  the 
old  sing,  the  young  peep,"  must  have  been  inspired 
by  Teniers,  or  Jordaens,  but  the  old  Flemish  bon- 
hommie  is  starched  and  laundered  and  made  very 
presentable.  Another  Teniers'  subject  is  his  "  Cheat- 
ing at  Cards,"  the  interior  of  an  inn  with  peasants 
gaming.  His  portraits  of  Professor  Mommsen  and 
of  Professor  Helmholtz  have  their  interest  in  the 
human  document  detracted  by  an  excessive  devotion 
to  the  details  of  the  furniture  in  the  rooms.  Holbein 
painted  such  details,  it  is  true,  but  somehow  the 
interest  in  Holbein's  sitter  always  surpasses  the 
other  parts.  In  the  Helmholtz  portrait  Knaus  does 
not  succeed  in  focusing  our  attention  upon  the  truly 
intellectual  face.  We  wander  too  easily  to  the 
optical  instrument  that  stands  on  the  table,  even  to 
the  brass  nails  of  the  chair  on  which  the  professor 
is  seated,  and  to  the  elastics  in  the  boots  he  wears. 

Fritz  Werner  (1825-1908)  shows  in  his  "Libra- 
rian "  and  his  "  Taxidermist  "  a  slavish  following 
of  Meissonier  with  whom  he  studied.  Anton  von 
Werner  (born  1843)  follows  the  French  military 
painters  Detaille  and  de  Neuville  in  a  scene  from 
the  Franco-Prussian  War,  of  course  in  his  case 
glorifying  the  German  side.     "  In  Quarters  before 


294     XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  JSerlin  (Balleries 

Paris,  1871  "  is  one  of  the  most  popular  paintings 
in  Germany,  and  the  coloured  prints  taken  from  it 
are  found  in  every  nook  and  hamlet.  Four  or  five 
German  sub-oflPicers  are  lounging  in  the  drawing- 
room  of  a  countryhouse  —  at  Brunoy  —  smoking, 
or  singing,  while  one  plays  the  accompaniment  on 
the  piano.  The  servants  of  the  house  are  grouped 
at  the  door  to  listen  to  the  impromptu  concert. 
Aside  from  its  purely  sentimental  feature  this  paint- 
ing is  well  executed  and  exceedingly  attractive  for 
its  drawing  and  colouring. 

Albert  Brendel  (1827-1895)  was  a  cattle  painter 
whose  different  canvases  would  tempt  us  to  call  him 
the  German  Verboeckhoven  —  they  are  as  finnicky 
and  smooth  as  the  cattle  and  sheep  of  the  Belgian 
artist. 

Corridor  I  has  yet  some  good  works.  Joseph 
Scheurenberg  (born  1846),  although  of  Dusseldorf 
training  and  now  teacher  at  the  Berlin  Academy, 
has  been  strongly  influenced  by  modern  tendencies. 
His  portraits  are  excellent,  and  his  picture  called 
"  The  Lord's  Day  "  shows  some  breadth  of  handling 
in  the  figures  and  a  clear  treatment  of  the  light- 
effect.  Karl  Saltzmann  (born  1847)  is  a  distin- 
guished marine  painter,  whose  "  Torpedo  boats," 
in  a  rough  sea,  give  a  realistic  presentation  and 
remind  of  the  work  of  the  American  Reuterdahl. 
The  military  paintings  of  Georg  Bleibtreu   (1828- 


■S     a 

1^ 


Ube  Kopal  l^attonal  Gallery       295 

1892),  two  battles  of  the  Austrian  war,  and 
"  Crownprince  Friedrich  Wilhelm  before  Paris," 
although  intentionally  portrait-groups,  are  well 
composed  and  impressively  executed.  The  portrait 
of  Emperor  William,  by  Max  Koner  (1854-1900), 
must  not  be  passed  by.  It  is  quiet,  a  fine  likeness, 
and  well  posed. 

Through  the  corner-Menzel  room  (IV)  and  the 
Cupola  Room  we  come  again  in  the  Vestibule,  which 
we  passed  through  before,  and  we  halt  there  before 
a  magnificent  work  by  Gabriel  Max  (born  1840), 
"Jesus  heals  a  sick  Child."  Although  it  is  still  a 
product  of  the  Piloty  school  it,  nevertheless,  bears 
evidence  of  how  Max  from  the  first  laboured  to 
infuse  realism  into  his  work.  The  beautiful  figure 
of  the  divine  Healer,  and  the  adoring  faith  of  the 
mother  holding  her  sick  child,  are  given  without 
excess  of  emotion  but  with  a  sincere  spiritual  feeling. 
The  colouring  is  not  striking,  but  in  beautiful  har- 
mony of  quiet  tones. 

We  also  notice  two  works  by  von  Schwind  and 
Anselm  Feuerbach,  and  in  descending  the  stairway 
to  the  groundfioor  we  pass  the  large,  unfinished 
canvas,  "  Death  of  Alexander  the  Great,"  by  Karl 
von  Piloty  (1826-1886),  the  great  leader  of  the 
Munich  Academy,  bis  only  work  in  the  Museum. 
Piloty  was  the  man  who  led  the  Munich  school  from 
its   academic  thralldom   to  the  principles   of  the 


296     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

romantic  school :  "  colour  and  action,"  and  who  has 
produced  some  of  the  finest  historical  works  of 
German  art. 

Under  this  canvas  hangs  the  large  painting  "  Huss 
on  the  Funeralpile,"  by  Karl  Friedrich  Lessing,  of 
whom  we  saw  a  strong  landscape  in  the  first  Corri- 
dor. Lessing  had  been  a  pupil  of  Schadow  in  Ber- 
lin, and  was  fully  indoctrinated  in  academic  pre- 
cepts and  classic  worship.  He  was  one  of  the  first 
of  the  Schadow  pupils  to  look  for  liberty.  In  his 
landscapes  he  soon  turned  toward  nature,  as  we 
have  seen.  In  his  large  historical  compositions  he 
added  a  dramatic  substratum,  generally  with  a  tragic 
leaning. 

At  the  foot  of  the  staircase,  in  the  dark  Vestibule 
of  the  ground-floor  we  find  two  immense  canvases 
whereof  the  strong  colours  alone  enable  us  to  dis- 
tinguish the  composition.  "  The  Jews  led  to  Baby- 
lonian Captivity "  is  by  E.  Bendemann  ( 181 1- 
1889),  also  a  pupil  of  Schadow,  and  for  ten  years 
director  of  the  Dusseldorf  Academy.  This  is  an 
eminent  example  of  the  Dusseldorf  school,  smooth, 
slick-coloured,  punctilious  in  drawing,  and  recalling 
the  prototype  of  German  church  art,  the  work  of 
the  French  Academician  Ary  ScheflFer. 

Gustav  Richter  (1823-1884)  was  another  pupil 
of  the  Berlin  Academy,  and  his  "  Raising  of  Jairus' 
Daughter "  is  in  the  same  style  as  the  pendant 


Ubc  IRo^al  Bational  Calleri?        297 

painting.  The  conventional  manner  of  presenting 
these  subjects  is  such  that  a  description  of  the  com- 
position may  well  be  omitted  —  it  is  so  easily 
imagined. 

In  the  Cross-hall  we  find  a  few  works  of  greater 
interest.  Julius  Schrader  (1815-1890)  was  also  a 
Dusseldorf  man,  but  his  large  painting  here  of  the 
"  Homage  of  the  Cities  of  Berlin  and  Cologne  to 
the  Elector  Friedrich  I  in  1415  "  leans  more  to  the 
historical  penchant  of  the  Munich  school.  There 
is  little  allegory  in  the  bald  presentment  of  all  these 
apocryphal  portraits  of  fifteenth  century  notabilities. 

Bruno  Piglheim  (1848-1894)  was  a  typical  rep- 
resentative of  the  Munich  school.  He  strives  for 
what  is  grand  and  imposing,  with  richer,  warmer 
colour  and  more  soul  than  the  commonplace  of  the 
more  northern  painters.  His  "  Moritur  in  Deo  "  is 
an  original  conception  indeed.  The  Christ  hangs 
on  the  cross;  but  this  cross  has  grown  into  the 
clouds  as  if  the  earth  has  fallen  away  from  the 
sacredness  of  the  scene.  And  it  is  not  a  dying 
Christ,  with  limp  body,  drooping  head,  and  agonized 
features,  but  the  head  leans  back  erect  against  the 
wood  as  the  wide  open  eyes  stare  into  the  effulgence 
of  the  lightrays  that  fall  around  him.  These  eyes 
have  an  expression  of  the  self-conscious  perform- 
ance of  an  act  of  sacrifice.  And  an  archangel  with 
mighty  pinions  has  swept  down  from  above  and 


298      XTbe  Hrt  of  tbe  Berlin  Oallettes 

leans  over  the  bleeding  head  to  kiss  away  the  drops 
of  blood.  There  is  so  much  exalted  thought  and 
modernity  in  this  work  that  we  need  not  be  sur- 
prised that  Piglheim  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Munich  Secession  movement,  which  shook  the  school 
out  of  its  classic  formalism. 

Eduard  von  Gebhardt  (1838-1910)  again  was  of 
Dusseldorf,  but  his  admiration  for  the  German  old 
masters  greatly  vitalized  his  work.  The  "  Ascension 
of  Christ "  is  somewhat  formal  in  its  grouping. 
This  may  also  be  said  of  Karl  Becker's  (1820-1900) 
"Carnival  at  the  Doge's  Palace,"  which  has  hard 
and  dry  colour. 

When  we  enter  Room  I  on  the  right  we  make  at 
once  the  stride  from  typical  German  conventional 
art  to  its  freest  and  most  poetic  expression  in  the 
work  of  the  greatest  artistic  genius  Germany  has 
produced  in  the  last  century  —  Arnold  Bocklin 
(1827-1901),  by  whom  we  find  here  ten  master- 
pieces. 

This  present  estimate  of  Bocklin  has  not  been 
undisputed.  It  was  not  until  the  fifties  before  any 
notice  was  taken  of  his  work.  Then  his  Pan,  and 
his  enamoured  fauns,  were  recognized  by  a  few  as 
assuring  and  convincing  demonstrations  of  the  cos- 
mic unity  between  animate  and  inanimate  creation, 
that  the  animalism  of  his  figures  and  the  naturalism 
of  the  landscapes  in  which  they  were  placed,  melted 


XTbe  IRoi^al  Battonal  Pallet)?        299 

into  each  other  to  an  amalgam  of  poetic  thought. 
But  the  Dusseldorfers  laughed  and  Berlin  held  its 
sides,  and  Count  Schack  of  Munich  who  had  given 
Bocklin  commissions  would  not  accept  his  "  Pieta  " 
and  other  paintings.  But  Bocklin's  creative  power, 
his  unique  fantasy,  his  iridescent  colour,  his  mastery- 
over  romantic  nature,  the  magic  of  the  man,  ulti- 
mately conquered  all  antagonism. 

A  painting  showing  idealism  in  a  combination  of 
nature  and  men  is  his  "  Springday  "  (Plate  XLIV), 
a  landscape  that  breathes  the  atmosphere  of  awaken- 
ing life  —  the  first  budding  of  the  white  birches, 
the  newly  blooming  flowery  sward,  the  rippling 
water  free  from  its  icy  casing,  the  sky  in  which 
the  clouds  are  driven  by  vernal  breezes,  the  children 
and  youths  announcing  the  fresh  brightness  of 
existence,  which  the  quiet  note  of  the  old  man  by 
the  trees  and  the  dark  clump  of  evergreens  still 
further  emphasize.  The  image  which  Bocklin  had 
of  nature  was  wonderfully  clear.  There  is  a  vitality 
in  buds  and  treetrunks  and  flowers  of  the  grass,  a 
gloss  and  glow  of  colour,  a  purity  of  artistic  con- 
ception which  few  if  any  artists  have  ever  depicted. 
Not  a  vestige  of  stage  setting,  not  an  echo  of  delib- 
erate composing,  but  the  reality  of  creation,  which 
as  it  were  speaks  to  him  with  audible  voices. 

And  these  nature  voices  he  soon  embodied  in 
figures  of  beings  which  seem  the  final  condensation 


300     Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  aBerltn  Galleries 

of  the  life  of  nature  itself,  the  tangible  embodiment 
of  its  spirit,  of  its  Hfe.  In  the  "Regions  of  the 
Blessed  "  we  see  such  figures  in  human  and  mythical 
form  that  express  the  essence,  the  condensation,  the 
embodied  mood  -of  nature ;  they  are  children,  bred 
and  borne  of  the  landscape,  and  not  mere  acces- 
sories. So  in  the  "  Centaur  and  Nymph,"  or  in  the 
"  Surf  of  the  Sea  "  we  do  not  so  much  find  a  Helenic 
myth  as  a  pantheistic  nature  idyl. 

Bocklin  also  found  his  inspiration  in  sacred  story, 
and  there  he  was  assailed  most  vehemently.  In  1 876 
he  painted  the  "  Descent  from  the  Cross  "  —  Christ 
on  the  ground,  supported  by  Nicodemus  and  Joseph 
of  Arimathea,  the  women  and  John  in  agony  around 
the  body.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  body  of  Christ  is 
wrong  in  drawing.  But,  as  Schoppenhauer  has  said, 
"  before  a  painting  one  should  stand  as  before  a 
prince,  waiting  till  he  speaks,  not  commencing  to 
ask  questions."  Then  we  hark  that  the  manner  in 
which  Bocklin  drew  was  not  an  insult  to  the  sacred 
body,  but  a  clearer  and  deeper  expression  of  sacred 
feeling. 

In  1882  his  "  Pieta  "  was  hung  over  a  door  at 
the  International  Exposition  at  Vienna,  which  at 
least  showed  the  compassionate  tolerance  wherewith 
his  brother  artists  treated  the  work  after  it  had  been 
accepted  by  the  jury.  Sport  was  made  of  it.  It 
was  called  the  rainbow,  whose  colours  coquetted 


THE  HERMIT 

ARNOLD 

National 

BOCKLIN 

Plate  XLV 

Gallery 

XEbe  IRoi^al  IRattonal  Galleri^        301 

with  each  other  around  unaesthetic  forms.  Yet  it 
is  simple  and  grand  —  the  stiff,  stark  body  of  Christ 
on  the  stone,  over  which  the  agonized  mother  is 
huddled,  and  the  angel  appearing  in  the  clouds, 
stretching  out  a  consoling  arm.  It  is  true,  and  in 
the  noblest  sense  religious.  Bocklin  was  never  a 
church  painter  of  dogmatic  tenets,  but  no  man 
touches  deeper  the  heart  of  religion. 

His  noble  "  Self-portrait "  is  here,  with  the  grin- 
ning skeleton  Death  playing  the  fiddle  behind  him, 
to  which  he  is  listening  with  startled  intensity.  This, 
and  the  portraits  of  a  lady,  of  the  singer  Wallen- 
reiter,  and  of  the  sculptor  von  Kopf,  show  the 
master's  profound  intuition  and  illumination  of 
character. 

Bocklin's  most  popular  picture  here  is  "  The 
Hermit"  (Plate  XLV).  It  is  a  simple  story,  full 
of  tender  charm.  In  the  light  of  early  morning  the 
aged  hermit  is  playing  on  his  violin  a  hymn  of  praise 
before  the  shrine  of  the  Virgin.  Three  little  angels 
with  rainbow-coloured  wings  have  sped  to  listen  to 
the  sweet  melody.  The  sky  has  the  soft  violet  light 
of  early  dawn,  the  bit  of  turf  is  green,  and  here  and 
there  bright  spots  of  colour  melt  into  the  quiet  tones 
with  delicious  harmony. 

In  the  next  Room  II  we  find  a  number  of  works 
by  Hans  von  Marees  (1837-1887),  the  one  who  in 
spirit  is  closest  related  to  Bocklin,  although  techni- 


302      Ube  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  (Galleries 

cally  they  are  far  apart.  They  had  in  common  the 
same  pecuharity  of  never  painting  from  nature,  but 
of  drinking  in  its  spirit,  impressing  its  forms  on  the 
mind,  and  then  depicting  these,  surcharged  with 
their  own  personal  idealism. 

With  Marees  fate  was  less  gracious  than  with 
Bocklin,  whose  last  decade  at  least  was  filled  with 
honours.  Two  years  after  the  death  of  Marees  the 
German  art  history  by  A.  Rosenberg,  published  in 
1889,  did  not  even  contain  his  name.  Two  books 
which  were  written  about  him,  by  his  friend  Konrad 
Fiedler,  in  1889,  and  by  his  pupil,  Karl  von  Pidoll, 
in  1890,  were  never  published.  And  although  his 
name  had  often  been  mentioned  in  Munich  in  the 
fifties,  as  of  a  man  of  great  promise,  and  although 
he  was  popular  with  his  fellow-artists  when  he  went 
to  Rome,  he  was  soon  forgotten.  The  works  which 
he  sent  to  Berlin  were  most  indifferently  received  — 
they  were  not  spirited,  so  it  was  said,  nor  well- 
drawn,  nor  well-composed,  they  had  no  flashing 
colour,  in  short  lacked  all  qualities  that  might  arouse 
interest  or  even  attract  attention. 

Marees'  artistic  ideal  was  to  place  the  human  form 
in  space,  colour  to  him  was  but  the  expression  of 
that  form,  and  light  only  a  means  to  give  the 
openness  of  the  three  dimensions.  In  all  his  works 
here  this  is  apparent.  There  is  a  stiffness  and 
straightness  in  the  "  St.  George,"  seated  upon  an 


TLbc  IRoi^al  laattonal  Gallery?       303 

almost  wooden  horse  as  he  spears  the  dragon;  but 
the  boldness  of  the  forms,  the  surrounding  atmos- 
phere, the  bigness  of  the  landscape  is  striking.  So 
his  "  Three  Men  in  a  Landscape  "  has  knotty,  mus- 
cular figures  of  nude  men,  standing  and  sitting  in 
an  open  grove,  whose  roundness  of  form  is  like 
sculpture,  and  whose  vitality  is  of  human  beings. 
The  "  Roman  Vineyard  "  has  a  number  of  queerly 
drawn  visitors  at  the  tables,  but  the  ensemble  gives 
a  naturalistic  impression  of  remarkable  vividness. 
Another  landscape  has  a  nude  woman  sitting  on  a 
bank  of  sod,  and  a  nude  male  on  horseback  plucking 
an  orange  from  a  tree.  There  is  even  greater 
apparent  carelessness  in  drawing,  a  broader,  slap- 
ping brushwork  than  in  the  other  canvases,  but  it 
is  still  stronger  in  rugged  force.  While  the  colour 
may  be  coarse  and  raw,  it  still  vibrates  with  con- 
tinuous shimmering.  The  "  St.  Martin,"  accosted 
by  a  half-nude  beggar,  is  carried  out  with  greater 
care.  The  verdict  must  be  that  the  work  of  Marees 
may  sin  against  all  the  conventional  rules  of  aesthet- 
icism,  notwithstanding,  it  is  virile  in  its  luminous 
strength. 

Anselm  Feuerbach  (1829-1880)  was  a  strong 
man  of  personal  searching,  who  despite  early  lean- 
ing to  classic  regularity  gradually  cut  his  own  way 
and  became,  what  the  critics  called  him,  an  auto- 
didact.     His  "  Ricordo  di  Tivoli  '*  has  the  Italian 


304     TLbc  Htt  ot  tbe  jBerlin  Galleries 

atmosphere  and  the  refinement  of  the  later  followers 
of  Raphael.  In  a  rocky  glen,  with  waterfall  and 
bubbling  pool,  a  young  girl  is  seated  on  a  ledge  with 
her  hands  clasped  around  her  knees,  her  head,  which 
shows  in  profile  against  the  clear  sky,  is  slightly 
tilted  back  and  she  gazes  upward  in  meditation.  On 
a  lower  rock  a  half -draped  boy  reclines,  playing  a 
guitar.  The  "  Springtime  "  is  in  the  same  manner, 
with  four  ladies,  dressed  in  the  fashion  of  the 
sixties,  scattered  in  a  grove.  The  "  Concert "  also 
is  Italian,  with  four  gowned  and  draped  women 
making  music  on  lute  and  guitar  under  the  arches 
of  a  portico  which  in  architecture  reminds  of  the 
Doge's  Palace. 

Later  he  became  more  individual  and  indepen- 
dent. In  his  "  Plato's  Symposium  "  we  note  the 
strength  of  the  drawing,  with  a  remarkable  feeling 
for  the  lines  which  gives  the  whole  composition  that 
same  sense  of  relief  which  we  find  with  the  Naza- 
renes.  The  incident  depicted  is  the  gathering  of 
philosophers  and  poets  at  the  house  of  Agathon  for 
the  discussion  of  Eros,  when  Alcibiades  partly 
inebriated  and  accompanied  by  girls  and  slaves 
enters  and  delivers  an  harangue  in  praise  of  his 
friend  Socrates. 

Another  characteristic  of  his  later  years  comes 
especially  forth  in  his  "Medea's  Flight"  (Plate 
XLVI),  which  is  somewhat  chalky  in  colour,  flat 


Ube  IRopal  National  (3aUerp        30s 

and  reserved,  and  with  the  appearance  of  freisco. 
The  "  Battle  of  the  Amazones  "  was  painted  about 
the  same  time,  land  with  the  energy  of  a  Rubens  in 
the  whirHng  of  massed  figures,  it  also  possesses  the 
personal  traits  of  Feuerbach  in  its  hard,  dry  colours 
and  successful  space-painting. 

His  portraiture  is  of  a  high  order.  The  self- 
portrait,  and  the  one  of  his  step-mother,  are  re- 
markably vivid  and  clear.  The  lines  in  the  brightly 
lit  face  of  the  woman  are  crisp,  and  thei  shadows 
not  overemphasized.  His  own  portrait  with  its 
wealth  of  wavy  hair  surrounding  the  strong  fea- 
tures is  sculpturesque  in  its  well-blocked  planes. 

Victor  Muller  (1829-1879)  was  another  Munich 
man  who,  while  taking  his  first  impressions  from 
the  Piloty  school,  drifted  off  and  sought  his  own 
way,  like  Feuerbach,  Bocklin,  Marees,  Thoma,  and 
so  many  others.  His  two  examples  here  are  some- 
what diverse  in  subject,  but  the  technique,  broad 
and  bold,  is  readily  recognized  in  each.  The  half- 
figure  of  Salome,  whose  bare  bosom  is  seen  above 
the  head  of  John  which  she  carries  on  a  large  plat- 
ter, is  rich  i/  colour  with  fine  fleshtints,  and  the  ex- 
pression of  the  face,  slightly  averted,  shows  plainly 
a  mingling  of  satisfied  pride  and  disgust.  The 
"  Little  Snow-princess  with  the  Seven  Dwarves  " 
presents  a  far  different  view  of  fantastic  gaiety  from 
the  realm  of  German  folklore.    The  brush  handling 


3o6      Ubc  Hrt  ot  tbe  aBetlin  (Galleries 

is  as  broad  and  certain  as  in  the  other  work,  but 
the  colours  are  sprightly,  and  the  joy-dance  of  the 
little  gnomes  is  drawn  with  great  dexterity  and 
expression. 

Hugo  Habermann  (born  1849)  is  one  of  the 
strongest  men  to-day  of  the  Munich  Secession. 
His  example  here  is  still  in  the  conventional  story- 
telling style  of  his  early  years.  A  physician  in  his 
consulting-room  is  examining  a  boy  for  lung-trouble, 
while  the  anxious  mother,  seated  on  a  sofa,  is 
eagerly  watching  for  the  verdict.  In  his  later  work 
this  artist  shows  more  nervous  intensity,  and  in 
his  broad,  long  brushstrokes,  and  sharp  colours  he 
displays  greater  freedom  from  academic  conven- 
tion. 

Gallery  HI  contains  a  number  of  works  by  men 
scarcely  known  beyond  the  German  border.  Gregor 
von  Bochmann  (born  1850)  was  one  of  the  first 
to  point  the  Dusseldorf  school  the  way  to  French 
romantic  realism,  but  he  chose  by  preference  Dutch 
subjects.  His  "  Dockyard  in  South  Holland  "  and 
the  "  Reaper  "  .are  painted,  however,  in  the  pleasing 
style  of  the  French  potboilers.  Frgen  Kampf 
(born  1861)  with  a  village  view  "  Eifeldorf,"  Hans 
von  Volkmann  (born  1860)  with  a  Spring  land- 
scape, Olaf  Jernberg  (born  1855)  with  an  harvest- 
scene,  and  Karl  Vinnen  (born  1863)  with  Cattle, 
show  little  Teutonic  character.     The  best  work  in 


Ube  IRo^al  IRattonal  Gallery        307 

this  style  of  painting  here  is  a  picturesque  morning 
scene  in  the  Schwarzwald,  by  Emil  Lugo  (1840- 
1902),  a  fellow-pupil  with  Bocklin  of  Schirmer. 
Also  the  "  Idylle,"  by  Ludwig  von  Gleichen- 
Russwurm  (1836-1901),  with  its  noble  poplar  trees 
skirting  a  green  meadow  is  attractive. 

Eduard  von  Gebhardt's  "  Last  Supper "  h^ngs 
also  in  this  room  —  a  serious,  quiet  work,  but  not 
overwhelming  in  high,  artistic  quality. 

Room  IV  is  interesting  because  of  three  fine 
portraits  by  Franz  von  Lenbach  (1836-1904), 
Germany's  most  renowned  portrait  painter.  The 
most  impressive  of  these  is  the  standing  portrait  of 
Bismarck,  truly  the  best  of  the  many  counterfeits 
Lenbach  made  of  the  Iron  Chancellor.  The  vig- 
orous body  is  surmounted  by  a  noble,  well-poised 
head,  the  furrowed  features  and  piercing  eyes  are 
descriptive  of  dominant  character.  Also  the  por- 
traits of  Marshal  von  Moltke,  and  of  the  famous 
sculptor,  Reinhold  Begas,  are  worthy  of  the  brush 
of  this  artist  who  excelled  in  his  portraits  of  men, 
but  whose  women  portraits  are  far  from  sincere. 

An  "  Autumn  Storm,  Rapallo,"  by  Gustav 
Schonleber  (born  1851),  shows  excellent  painting 
of  agitated  water,  as  the  river  comes  roaring 
through  the  arches  of  the  stone  bridge  which  spans 
it.  A  "  Fishers-village,"  by  Hans  Hermann  (born 
1855),  a  thorough  academician,  is  pleasing  and  no 


3o8       Zbc  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

more.  The  "  Cemetery  by  the  Sea,"  by  Ludwig 
Dettmann  (born  1865),  is  striking  and  impressive. 
The  flower-decked  and  shell-bordered  graves  and 
crosses  are  in  the  foreground,  and  behind  the  fence 
of  this  cemetery  the  dune  and  beach  slope  gently 
towards  the  white  surf  of  the  sea. 

Going  through  the  Rotunda  we  enter  the  first 
cabinet.  Here  we  find  several  landscapes  of  pass- 
able interest.  The  landscape  by  Eugen  Jettel  ( 1845- 
1902)  is  called  in  the  catalogue  "  Hungarian  Land- 
scape with  bathing  Children,"  but  is  apparently  one 
of  the  many  Dutch  scenes  the  artist  frequently 
painted,  with  a  windmill,  houses  and  trees  half 
concealed  by  a  dike,  and  a  sheet  of  water  with  a 
timber-curing  dock  in  the  foreground.  The  chil- 
dren bathing,  the  ducks  swimming  about,  and  the 
wash  hanging  on  the  hedges,  is  typical  of  the  Dutch 
lowlands.  A  "  Taunus  Landscape,"  by  Peter 
Burnitz  (1824-1886),  has  some  well-painted  stunted 
and  crooked  appletrees  growing  in  a  field.  The 
perspective  is  extensive  and  shows  houses  and  a 
church  tower  in  the  distance.  Hugo  Darnaut  (born 
1851 ),  a  Viennese  artist,  shows  a  landscape  in  lower 
Austria;  while  Teutwart  Schmitson  (1830-1902), 
also  of  Vienna,  places  horses  and  cattle  in  his 
wooded  fields.  Emil  Schindler  (1842-1892)  was 
one  of  the  Viennese  who  brought  French  influences 
to  bear  on  the  conventional  art  of  that  city.    He  was 


XLbc  IRopal  National  Galleri?        309 

not  appreciated  during  his  life,  although  later  his 
good  example  was  followed.  Without  deserving 
unbounded  praise  still  his  out-door  genre  had  more 
animation  and  realism  than  the  orthodox  stiffness 
of  the  Viennese  school  of  his  time.  Its  attempt  to 
produce  heroic,  historical  work  was  but  a  poor 
imitation  of  the  Piloty  school,  and  had  brought 
forth  but  few  who  could  compete  with  their  western 
neighbours.  Schindler,  in  a  more  modest  way, 
painted  scenes  of  life  with  great  realism.  In  his 
"  Picnic  in  the  Vienna  Prater ''  he  has  put  many 
types  of  excellent  characterization.  The  landscape 
part,  however,  is  a  bald  imitation  of  the  Barbizon 
manner. 

Another  painter  of  types  is  Gotthardt  Kuehl 
(born  1850),  now  a  teacher  at  the  Dresden  Acad- 
emy. His  "  Old  Men's  Home  in  Liibeck  "  has  a 
peculiar  homelike  appearance,  and  its  inmates  an 
air  of  peaceful  content. 

Cabinet  2  has  for  its  principal  work  the  large 
painting  by  Fritz  von  Uhde  (1848-1910),  "Come, 
Lord  Jesus,  be  our  Guest."  Von  Uhde  was  one 
of  those,  like  Leibl,  Liebermann,  Bartels  and  others, 
who  changed  his  style  through  Dutch  influence,  cut 
loose  from  the  conventionalism  so  characteristic  of 
nineteenth  century  German  art,  and  through  the 
Munich  Secession  movement  stirred  the  Teutonic 
school  to  nobler  endeavours.    Von  Uhde's  progress 


3IO      XTbe  Hrt  ot  tbe  Berlin  Galleries 

may  be  marked  in  the  works  he  has  produced,  and 
successively  we  may  trace  in  him  the  example  of 
Makart,  Munkaczy,  Bastien  Lepage,  until  Joseph 
Israels  revealed  to  him  the  truths  of  art  that  most 
deeply  appealed  to  his  own  soul;  and  von  Uhde 
became  a  serious,  sincere,  and  strong  painter. 
There  is  a  realism  in  his  work  that  well-nigh 
becomes  materialistic,  and  yet  the  meanest  subject 
which  he  chooses  he  elevates  and  enobles  with  a 
pure  feeling,  simplicity  and  rectitude  of  thought. 
The  plain  artisans  into  whose  modest  home  the 
Master  has  entered,  with  all  their  humble  bearing, 
are  idealized  by  a  loving  faith  that  bows  before  the 
divine  presence.  There  is  little  of  the  mystic  type 
or  symbolism  in  this  painting,  but  the  welcome 
which  the  poor  believers  offer  to  the  Master  be- 
comes very  real. 

Hans  Thoma  (1839-1909)  also  had  great  influ- 
ence on  German  art.  It  was  a  hard  struggle  to 
overcome  the  shoulder-shrugs  and  sneers  which 
greeted  his  work,  even  into  the  eighties,  but  at  last 
the  critics  and  the  public  acknowledged  the  leader. 
Thoma  began  to  paint  in  Frankfort,  where  there 
was  no  school  but  a  company  of  independent  artists 
who  allowed  each  his  free  way;  and  quietly  our 
artist  developed  there.  From  the  first  his  work  was 
distinct  for  its  sunny  light-grey  tone,  with  colours 
simple  and  yet  abundant,  painted  with  clear  delight 


FRANZ 

VON 

LENBACH 


PORTRAIT  OF  PROFESSOR  MOMMSEN 
Plate  XLVii 


National 
Gallery 


XEbe  IRo^al  IFlational  Oalleri^       311 

in  their  brilliancy.  When  he  painted  a  piece  of 
nature,  notably  the  Schwarzwald  where  he  lived, 
he  gave  a  sense  of  freshness  and  depth  of  feeling 
which  denote  an  unusual  intimacy  with  the  spirit 
of  the  landscape.  His  "  Schwarzwald  Landscape 
with  Goats,"  and  the  "  Rhine  near  Sockingen  "  are 
pure  leaves  out  of  nature's  book.  There  is  nothing 
of  the  antique,  of  the  classic,  of  the  academy,  in 
these  works ;  they  are  not  composed,  nor  idealized, 
they  are  painted  as  the  master  saw,  and,  above  all, 
felt. 

The  next  cabinet,  3,  shows  us  several  portraits. 
Karl  Stauffer-Bern  (1857-1891)  painted  the  like- 
ness of  the  popular  novelist  Gustav  Freitag;  Wil- 
helm  Triibner  (born  1851)  one  of  his  fellow-artist 
Karl  Schuch;  Louis  Eisen  (1843-1899)  a  charm- 
ing and  intimate  portrait  of  his  mother.  There  are 
here  also  several  more  portraits  by  Franz  von  Len- 
bach,  a  pastel  of  Bismarck,  the  Chancellor  Prince 
Hohenlohe,  Richard  Wagner,  and  a  unique  por- 
trayal of  the  famous  historian.  Professor  Mommsen 
(Plate  XLVII).  There  is  in  this  likeness  a  mar- 
vellous fulness  of  effect  reached  by  a  modicum  of 
means  —  just  tinted  lines,  with  the  scarcity  of  some 
of  Rembrandt's  etchings,  but  also  with  their  won- 
derful sureness  and  expressiveness.  The  face  is 
incisive  in  its  vital  look,  its  keen  eyes  and  sharp 
precision  of  modelling. 


312      Ube  Hrt  of  tbc  JBetlin  (Ballertes 

The  fourth  cabinet  gives  us  a  view  of  the  work 
of  Wilhelm  Leibl  (1844-1900),  one  of  the  great 
peasant  painters  of  Germany.  He  also  passed 
through  changes  of  manner  as  a  result  of  his  train- 
ing under  Piloty,  and  subsequent  studies  in  Paris. 
He  found  himself  fully  when  he  retired  to  the 
Dachauer  region  of  Upper  Bavaria,  where  he  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  present  Dachauer  school  of 
landscai>e  painting,  without,  however,  himself 
going  as  far  as  his  followers  into  pleinairism.  He 
painted  by  preference  the  peasants  around  Munich. 
They  are  not  handsome  or  attractive,  nor  engaged 
in  any  occupation.  They  are  types,  and  he  goes 
into  the  details  of  the  texture  of  their  picturesque 
dress  with  a  passion  which  Holbein  displayed.  But 
Leibl  is  broader  in  brushwork.  One  sees  that  his 
ambition  did  not  lie  in  the  telling  of  a  story  con- 
cerning the  people  he  painted,  but  in  the  pure  crafts- 
manship of  representing  them  with  pigment  and 
brush.  The  "  Dachauerinnen,"  the  "  Dachauer 
Woman  with  a  Child,"  the  "  Gamekeeper,"  the 
"  Hunter,"  the  "  Peasantboy,"  lounging  in  a  chair, 
are  all  types  of  the  people,  and  thoroughly  natural- 
istic. Three  portraits,  especially  the  one  of  "  The 
Alderman,"  are  strong  performances,  reminding  of 
the  technique  of  Frans  Hals. 

Spread  among  these  works  we  note  a  few  stillives 
by  Karl  Schuch  (1846-1903),  a  Vienna  artist  of 


Ube  IRoi^al  *Rattonal  Gallerp      '  313 

some  repute,  and  two  interiors  of  peasant  cabins  by 
Leibl's  friend,  Johann  Sped  (born  1840). 

The  next,  the  fifth,  is  the  Liebermann  cabinet. 
Max  Liebermann  (born  1847)  was  another  cham- 
pion of  the  new  art  in  Germany.  Trained  in  Ber- 
lin, studying  in  Paris  where  Munkaczy  and  also 
Millet  greatly  impressed  him,  influenced  by  the 
work  of  Hals  and  of  Israels  on  a  visit  to  Holland, 
and  later  taken  up  with  the  French  impressionists, 
he  shows  somewhat  of  each  of  these  tendencies  in 
the  work  he  has  produced,  without  having  become 
superficially  imitative.  There  is  undeniable  per- 
sonality in  his  method  and  his  feeling,  and  as  the 
first  German  light-painter  he  incurred  the  hatred 
of  the  idealistic  critics,  but  at  the  same  time  became 
the  prophet  of  the  younger  generation  of  painters. 
His  light-painting  was  not  the  chiaroscuro  of  the 
old  masters,  with  the  contrast  of  light  and  shade, 
brilliancy  emphasized  by  dark  spots.  His  light  is 
tonal  through  mixing  of  white  with  his  colours. 
The  critics  called  this,  "giving  his  pictures  milk- 
baths,"  many  never  perceiving  that  this  white  of 
light  is  everywhere  in  nature  and  saturates  it.  The 
"Flax-spinners  of  Laren  *'  and  the  "Cobbler's 
Shop  "  give  this  light  in  interiors,  the  "  Dunes  near 
Noordwyk  "  show  it  in  all  its  out-doors  brilliancy. 
The  "  Geese-pluckers  "  is  an  earlier  work  of  darker 
tone,  painted  under  the  influence  of  Munkaczy. 


314     ^be  Htt  of  tbe  aBetlin  Galleries 

One  of  his  strongest  followers  was  Franz  Skar- 
bina  (1849-1910),  whose  "  Evening  in  the  Village  " 
is  finer  than  any  Thaulow,  while  the  "  Lace-knitter 
of  Bruges  "  has  exquisite  charm.  By  no  means 
academic  is  Friedrich  Kallmorgen  (born  1856),  at 
present  teacher  at  the  Berlin  Academy  of  Fine  Arts. 
His  "  Harbour  view  of  Hamburg  "  is  a  magnificent 
scene,  ruddy  and  luminous  by  the  reflection  of  the 
setting  sun  in  the  waves  of  the  roadstead.  The 
houses,  factories  and  docks,  with  the  towers  of  the 
city  looming  in  the  distance,  are  broadly  painted. 
His  "  Michaels'  Church  in  Hamburg  by  Rain " 
shows  the  artist's  fondness  for  moisture  with  its 
scintillating  reflections. 

In  Room  V  we  find  still  two  modern  men  of  great 
strength.  The  "  Griinewaldsee,"  by  Walter  Leisti- 
kow  (born  1865),  shows  the  later  reaction  against 
the  light-painting  of  Liebermann  and  Leibl,  which 
with  many  degraded  into  monotony.  A  greater 
desire  for  decorative  quality  led  Leistikow  to  scenes 
like  the  one  before  us,  the  bend  of  a  lake,  part  of 
the  water  brightly  lit  by  the  clear  sky,  and  part  in 
deep  shadow  by  the  heavy  fringe  of  pinetrees  that 
come  down  to  the  bank.  It  was  a  turning  back 
again  from  the  concrete  to  the  abstract  idealism  of 
the  middle  period. 

Heinrich  Zugel  (born  1850),  now  teacher  at  the 
Munich  Academy,  is  a  bold  pleinairist.    His  "  Cattle 


XTbe  IRoi^al  IRattonal  (Balleri?       315 

in  a  Sunny  Meadow,"  his  "  Boy  with  a  Cow,"  are 
broadly  painted,  with  flecks  of  Hght  dotting  the 
canvas.  His  cattle  is  as  well  painted  as  the  land- 
scape, with  a  masterful  and  energetic  touch. 

The  remaining  rooms  are  filled  with  sculptures 
by  Hildebrandt,  Begas,  Ranch,  and  others. 


THE   END. 


Biblioorapb^ 


The  North  ItaHan  Painters  of  the 
Renaissance. 

Berenson,  Bernard.  —  The  Florentine  Painters  of  the  Re- 
naissance. 

Berenson,  Bernard.  —  The  Venetian  Painters  of  the  Re- 
naissance. 

Berenson,  Bernard.  —  The  Central  ItaUan  Painters  of  the 
Renaissance. 

Cartwright,  Julia.  —  The  Painters  of  Florence. 

Conway,  W.  Martin.  —  Early  Flemish  Artists. 

Forster,  E.  —  Geschichte  der  Deutschen  Kunst. 

Fromentin,  E.  —  Maitres  d'Autrefois. 

GuRLiTT,  Cornelius.  —  Die  Deutsche  Kunst  des  Neunzehn- 
ten   Jahrhunderts. 

Heidrich,  Ernst.  —  Die  Alt-Deutsche  Malerei. 

KuGLER,  F.  T.  —  Handbook  of  Painting. 

Lafenestre,  Georges.  —  Maitres  Anciens. 

LCBKE,  WiLHELM.  —  History  of  Art. 

MoRELLi,  Giovanni.  —  Italian  Painters. 

MCNTZ,  Eugene.  —  Histoire  de  I'Art  pendant  la  Renaissance. 

Muther,  Richard.  —  Der  Cicerone  in  der  Kgl.  Gemalde- 
galerie  in  Berlin. 

Pecht,  F.  —  Die  Deutsche  Kunstler  des  19en  Jahrhunderts. 

Reinach,  S.  —  The  Story  of  Art  throughout  the  Ages. 

Ruskin,  John.  —  Stones  of  Venice. 

ScHUBRiNG,  Paul.  —  Das  Kaiser  Friedrich  Museum. 

Stillman,  W.  J.  —  Old  Italian  Masters. 

Symonds,  J.  Addington.  —  Renaissance  in  Italy. 

Vasari,  G.  —  Lives  of  the  Painters. 

Woltmann  and  Wobbmann.  —  Geschichte  der  Malerei. 


3^7 


Unber 


Achenbach,  Andreas,  287. 
Achenbach,  Oswald,  288. 
Adam,  Franz,  286,  288. 
Aelst,  Peter  van,  45. 
Albani,  Francesco,  130. 
Allegri,   Antonio.     See   Correg- 

gio. 
Altdorfer,  Albrecht,  188. 
Amberger,  Christoph,  195. 
Angelico,  Fra,  19,  31. 
Antonello  da  Messina,  81,  92. 

Baldung,  Hans.    See  Grien. 
Bartolo  di  Maestro  Fredi,  17. 
Bartolommeo,  Fra,  loi. 
Basaiti,  Marco,  80. 
Basaiti-Pseudo,  84,  90. 
Bassano,  122. 
Becker,  K.,  298. 
Begas,  R.,  315. 
Bellini,  Gentile,  68. 
Bellini,  Giovanni,  81,  88. 
Belotto,  Bernardo.      See  Cana- 

letto. 
Bendemann,  E.,  296. 
Benvenuto  Tisi  da  Garofalo,  41. 
Berenson,  Bernard,  33,  86. 
Berthold,  Meister,  169. 
Bertucci,  Giovanni,  63. 
Bidermann,  J.,  279. 
Bissolo,  Francesco,  79. 
Blechen,  Karl,  291. 
Bleibtreu,  G.,  294. 
Bochmann,  G.  von,  306. 
Bocklin,  Arnold,  298-301. 
Bode,  Wilhelm,  4,  96,  199,  240. 
Bokelman,  288. 


Boldini,  G.,  271. 
Boltraffio,  Antonio,  109. 
Bonington,  R,  P.,  262. 
Bonsignori,  Francesco,  80. 
Bonvicino,      Alessandro.        See 

Moretto. 
Bordone,  Paris,  121. 
Borgognone,  Ambrogio,  69. 
Bosch,  Hieronymus,  221. 
Bossuet,  264. 
Botticelli,  49-53,  Qi- 
Botticini,  Francesco,  55. 
Bouts,  Aelbert,  220. 
Bouts,  Dirk,  219. 
Braekeleer,  264. 
Brendel,  A.,  294. 
Breu,  Jorg,  187. 
Breughel,  Jan  the  Elder,  228. 
Bril,  Paul,  228. 
Bronzino,  25,  92,  no. 
Bruyn,  Bartol,  93,  195. 
Buchholz,  K.,  288. 
Burgkmair,  Hans,  187. 
Bumitz,  Peter,  308. 
Busati,  Andrea,  84,  90. 

Calieri,  Paolo.    See  Veronese. 
Cambiaso,  Luca,  133,  139. 
Canal,  G.  von,  288. 
Cano,  Alonso,  148. 
Canaletto,  134. 
Caravaggio,  131,  140. 
Cariani  (Bussi),  121. 
Carpaccio,  Vitore,  76. 
Carracci,  Agostino,  128. 
Carracci,  Annibale,  128. 
Carreno,  Juan  de  Miranda,  145. 


319 


320 


tnl>cx 


Catena,  92. 

Cazin,  J.  C,  268. 

Cellini,  Benvenuto,  93. 

Cerezo,  Mateo,  146. 

Cezanne,  267. 

Chardin,  J.  S.,  158. 

Cima    da    Conegliano,    78,   83, 

91. 
Cimabue,  10. 
Claude  Lorrain,  153. 
Claus,  Emil,  268. 
Coello,  Alonso  Sanchez,  141. 
Constable,  John,  261. 
Conti,  Bernardino  de,  43. 
Cornelius,  Peter,  275,  281,  283. 
Correggio,  106. 
Cosimo,  Piero  di,  56. 
Cossa,  Francesco,  40. 
Costa,  Lorenzo,  40. 
Courbet,  G.,  262. 
Couture,  T.,  263, 
Coxie,  Michiels  van,  202. 
Cranach,  Lucas  the  Elder,  188. 
Cranach,    Lucas    the    Younger, 

193- 
Cristus,  Petrus,  212. 
Crivelli,  Carlo,  4,  75. 
Cuyp,  Aelbert,  250,  256. 
Cuyp,  J.  G.,  239. 

Daddi,  Bernardo,  14. 

Daret,  Jacques,  216. 

Damaut,  Hugo,  308. 

Daubigny,  Charles,  263. 

Daumier,  H.,  263. 

David,  Gerard,  93,  225. 

Defregger,  F.  von,  287,  288. 

Degas,  E.,  267. 

Dettmann,  Ludwig,  308. 

Diaz,  Narcisse,  263. 

Domenico  Veneziano,  23. 

Domenichino,  129. 

Donatello,  93,  in. 

Dorr,  Otto,  288. 

Dossi,  Dosso,  45,  116. 

Duccio,   15. 

Dughet,  Gaspard,  153. 

Diirer,  Albrecht,  4,  89,  179-183. 

Dyck,  Anton  van,  233,  258. 


Edlinger,  J.  G.  von,  278. 
Eisen,  Louis,  311. 
Elias,  Nicolaes,  256. 
Ercole  Roberti,  85. 
Everdingen,  van,  248. 
Eyck,  Hubert  van,  3,  202. 
Eyck,  Jan  van,  3,  202,  207-212. 

Fantin-Latour,  263. 
Feuerbach,  Anselm,  295,  303. 
Firenze,  Bernardo  da,  14. 
Flemalle,  Master  of.   See  Jacques 

Daret. 
Flinck,  Govert,  250,  256. 
Fogolino,  Marcello,  71. 
Foppa,  Vincenzo,  68,  108. 
Fouquet,  Jean,  152,  221. 
Francia,  Francesco,  42,  84. 
Franciabigio,   100. 
Friedrich,  K.  D.,  289. 
Fiiger,  Heinrich,  279. 
Fyt,  Jan,  258. 

Gaddi,  Agnolo,  14. 
Gaddi,  Taddeo,  12. 
Gaertner,  E.,  292. 
Gainsborough,  Thomas,  161. 
Garbo,  Raffaelino  del,  27,  92. 
Gaudenzio  Ferrari,  108. 
Gebhardt,  E.  von,  298,  307. 
Geertgen  van  St.  Jans,  220. 
Gentile  da  Fabriano,  18. 
Ghent,  Justus  van,  61. 
Ghiberti,  93. 

Ghirlandajo,   Benedetto,    57. 
Ghirlandajo,  Davide,  57. 
Ghirlandajo,  Domenico,  29,  57. 
Giordano,  Luca,  132,  140. 
Giorgione,  82. 
Giotto,  10. 

Giovanni  di  Paolo,  23. 
Girolamo  dai  Libri,  69. 
Giustiniani,  2. 

Gleichen-Russwurm,  L.  von,  307. 
Goes,  Hugo  van  der,  56,  224. 
Goethe,  238,  274. 
Gossaert,  Jan.    See  Mabuse. 
Goya,  Francisco,  149,  261. 
Goyen,  Jan  van,  239. 


fn^ex 


321 


Gozzoli,  Benozzo,  37. 
Graff,  Anton,  277. 
Greco,  El,  140. 
Greuze,  J.  B.,  159. 
Grien,  Hans  Baldung,  184. 
Griinewald,  184,  192. 
Guardi,  Francesco,  134. 

Habermann,  Hugo,  306. 
Hals,  Dirk,  236. 
Hals,  Frans,  235-238. 
Hammershoi,  V.,  171. 
Hasenclever,  J.,  289. 
Heemskerk,  Maarten  van,  223. 
Heist,  Barth.  van  der,  251. 
Hemessen,  Jan  van,  224. 
Henneberg,  Rudolf,  289. 
Hermann,  Hans,  307. 
Hertel,  Karl,  288. 
Hess,  P.,  290. 
Heus,  E.  von,  280. 
Heyden,  Jan  van  der,  254. 
Hildebrandt,  315. 
Hobbema,  250. 

Holbein,  Hans  the  Younger,  198. 
Hondecoeter,  Melchior  d*,  254. 
Hooch,  Pieter  de,  253. 

Israels,  Joseph,  310. 

Jemberg,  Olaf,  306. 
Jettel,  Eugene,  308. 
Jordaens,  Jacob,  257. 

Kalf,  Willem,  254. 
Kallmorgen,  F.,  314. 
Kampf,  E.,  306. 
Keyzer,  Thomas  de,  238. 
Klinger,  Max,  270. 
Knaus,  Ludwig,  292. 
Koch,  J.,  279. 
Koner,  Max,  295. 
Kriiger,  F.,  291. 
Kuehl,  G.,  309. 
Kulmbach,  Hans  von,  185. 

Landauer,  Berthold,  169. 
Landenberger,  C.,  269. 
Largilliere,   155. 


Lavery,  John,  272. 
Lawrence,  Thomas,  162  . 
Lebrun,  Charles,  154. 
Leibl,  W.,  312. 
Leistikow,  Walter,  314. 
Lenbach,  Franz  von,  307,  311. 
Leonardo  da  Vinci,  96,  108,  199. 
Lessing,  K.  F.,  288,  296. 
Leyden,  Lucas  van,  222. 
Liberale  da  Verona,  80. 
Liebermann,  Max,  313. 
Lippi,  Filippino,  27,  58,  91. 
Lippi,  Fra  Filippo,  21,  36. 
Lochhead,  John,  272. 
Lorenzetti,  Ambrogio,  17. 
Lorenzetti,  Pietro,  16. 
Lorenzo  di  Credi,  25,  30. 
Lotto,  Lorenzo,  85,  120. 
Lugo,  Emil,  307. 
Luini,  Bernardino,  43. 

Mabuse,  227. 
Maes,  Nicolaas,  253. 
Mainardi,  Sebastiano,  30,  91. 
Maineri,  Francesco,  85. 
Makart,  Hans,  282. 
Manet,  Edouard,  265. 
Mantegna,  Andrea,  64,  92. 
Maratta,  Carlo,  130. 
Marees,  Hans  von,  301. 
Margaritone,  10. 
Marinas,  Henrique  de  las,  148. 
Maris,  Jacob,  272. 
Marmion,  Simon,  221. 
Martini,  Simone,  15. 
Marziale,  Marco,  71. 
Masaccio,  27,  32,  35. 
Massys,  Quentin,  225. 
Master  of  Bruges,  217. 
Master  of  the   Glorification  of 

Mary,  174. 
Master  of  the  Holy  Family,  173. 
Master  of  the  Life  of  Mary,  172. 
Mauve,  Anton,  272, 
Max,  Gabriel,  295. 
Mazzolina,  41. 

Meister  von  Cappenberg,  197. 
Meister  von  Frankfort,  197. 
Meister  von  Messkirch,  197. 


322 


ITnbex 


Melchers,  Gari,  264. 
Meldolla,  Andrea,  125. 
Melozzo  da  Forli,  61. 
Melzi,  Francesco,  109. 
Memlinc,  Hans,  217,  258. 
Memmi,  Lippo,  16. 
Mengs,  Raphael,  277. 
Menzel,  Adolf,  285,  287. 
Mesdag,  H.  W.,  264. 
Meyer,  Claus,  287. 
Meyer,  Julius,  4. 
Meyerheim,  Eduard,  291. 
Meyerbeim,  Paul,  291. 
Michelangelo,  iii. 
Mignard,  155. 
Mina  da  Fiesole,  91. 
Miranda,  Juan  de,  145. 
Monet,  Claude,  265. 
Montagna,  Bartolommeo,  70. 
Mor,  Antonis,  224. 
Morales,  Luis  de,  141. 
Moretto,  3,  122. 
Moreelse,  Paul,  238. 
Morone,  Francesco,  69,  84. 
Moroni,  Giambattista,  44. 
Moroni,  Giovanni,  124. 
Miiller,  Victor,  305. 
Multscher,  Hans,  175. 
Murillo,  3,  147. 

Neer,  Aert  van  de,  256. 
Nuzi,  Alegretto,  18. 

Oggione,  Marco  d',  109. 
Oostsanen,    Jacob    Comeliszoon 

van,  222. 
Ouwater,  Albert  van,  218. 
Overbeck,  Friedrich,  282. 

Palma  Vecchio,  118. 
Panetti,  Domenico,  42. 
Panini,  Giovanni,  134. 
Paris  Bordone,  121. 
Patinir,  Joachim,  226. 
Pedrini,  Giovanni,  44. 
Pencz,  Georg,  196. 
Pesne,  Antoine,  155. 
Pettenkofen,  A.  von,  290. 
Piero  della  Francesca,  24,  70. 


Piglheim,  Bruno,  297. 
Piloty,  Karl  von,  295. 
Piombo,    Sebastiano     del,     86, 

137- 
Pisanello,  21. 
Pissarro,   266. 
Plockhorst,  B.,  287. 
Poelenburgh,  Cornells,  257. 
Pollaiuolo,  Antonio,  29. 
Pollaiuolo,  Piero,  53. 
Pompeo  Batoni,  134. 
Poussin,  Gaspard,  153. 
Poussin,  Nicolas,  152. 

Quercia,  Jacopo  della,  iii. 

Raeburn,  Henry,  163. 

Raibolini,  Francesco.  See  Fran- 
cia. 

Raoux,  Jean,  158. 

Raphael,  3,  45-49,  102-106. 

Rauch,  315. 

Renibrandt,  4,  240-247,  254. 

Reni,  Guido,  129. 

Renoir,  A,,  267. 

Reynolds,  Joshua,  160. 

Ribera,  Juseppe,  140. 

Riccio,  Andrea,  93. 

Richter,  G.,  296. 

Riedel,  A.,  290. 

Robusti,  Jacopo.  See  Tinto- 
retto. 

Romanino,  92,  123. 

Romney,  George,  162. 

Rosa,  Salvator,  132. 

Rosselino,  Antonio,  91. 

Roymerswaele,  N.  van,  226. 

Rubens,  P.  P.,  4,  229-233. 

Ruisdael,  Jacob  van,  247. 

Ruysdael,  Salomon  van,  240. 

Saltzmann,  K.,  294. 
Sansovino,  93. 
Santi,  Giovanni,  63. 
Sarto,  Andrea  del,  3,  98. 
Sassetta,  22. 
Savoldo,  122. 

Schadow,  W.  von,  275,  279, 
282. 


1^n^ex 


323 


Schaffner,  Martin,  i88. 
SchaflFner,  Max,  179. 
Schaufelein,  185. 
Scheurenberg,  Jos.,  294. 
Schiavone,  Andrea,  125. 
Schiavone,  Gregorio,  67. 
Schilback,  K.,  288. 
Schindler,  Emil,  308. 
Schinkel,  K.  F.,  292. 
Schirmer,  J.  W.,  285. 
Schleich,  Ed.,  288. 
Schmitson,  T.,  308. 
Schnorr  von  Carolsfeld,  Julius, 

282. 
Schongauer,  Martin,  177. 
Schonleber,  G.,  307. 
Schoppinger,  Meister,  174. 
Schrader,  J.,  297. 
Schuch,  Karl,  312. 
Schuch,  Werner,  287. 
Schwind,      Moritz     von,     290, 

295- 
Scorel,  Jan  van,  223. 
Segantini,  G.,  269. 
Signorelli,  Luca,  59. 
Simon,  James,  6,  91. 
Sisley,  266. 
Skarbina,  Franz,  314. 
Snyders,  Frans,  258. 
Sodoma,  no. 
Solly,  2,  95. 
Sorolla  y  Bastida,  270. 
Spagnoletto,  Lo.    See  Ribera. 
Spangenberg,  G.,  292. 
Sperl,  J.,  313. 
Spitzweg,  K.,  289. 
Squarcione,  Francesco,  64. 
Stauffer-Bern,  311. 
Steen,  Jan,  251. 
Steinle,  E.  von,  290. 
Stevenson,  Macaulay,  272. 
Strigel,  Bemhard,  176. 
Suermondt,  B.,  4. 

Teichlein,  A.,  288. 

Tempel,     Abraham     van     den, 

256. 
Teniers,    David    the    Younger, 

257. 


Terborch,  Gerard,  238. 
Thaulow,  F.,  271. 
Therbusch,  Anna,  277. 
Thiem,  A.,  6. 
Thoma,  Hans,  310. 
Tiepolo,   135. 
Tintoretto,  116. 
Tischbein,  J.  H.,  276. 
Tisi,  Benvenuto,  41. 
Titian,  3,  11 2-1 15. 
Troy,  Jean  de,  158. 
Triibner,  W.,  311. 
Tura,  Cosimo,  38. 

Ubertini,  Francesco,  loi. 
Ugolino  da  Siena,  17. 
Uhde,  Fritz  von,  309. 

Vanni,  Andrea,  18. 
Vanuccio,  Francesco  di,  18. 
Vautier,  B.,  288. 
Vecellio,  Tiziano,    See  Titian. 
Veit,  Philipp,  282. 
Velasquez,  143. 
Velde,  Adriaen  van  de,  250. 
Venne,  Adriaen  van  de,  239. 
Vermeer  van  Delft,  Jan,  251. 
Vemet,  Joseph,  159. 
Veronese,  Paolo,  117. 
Verrocchio,  28. 

Vinci,   Leonardo  da.    See  Leo- 
nardo. 
Vinnen,  Karl,  306. 
Vivarini,  Alvise,  73,  91. 
Vivarini,  Antonio,  22. 
Volkmann,  H,  von,  306. 
Vos,  Comelis  de,  229,  234. 

Waagen,  G.  F.,  i,  3,  95,  201. 
Waldmuller,  F.,  290. 
Watteau,  A.,  156. 
Weitsch,  G.,  278. 
Werner,  Anton  von,  293. 
Werner,  Fritz,  293. 
Weyden,  Rogier  van  der,  213. 
Wilhelm,  Meister,  170. 
Wilson,  Richard,  164. 
Wouwerman,  Philip,  256. 


324 


IFn^ex 


Zaganelli,  Francesco,  79. 
Zampieri.    See  Domenichino. 
Zeitblom,  Bartholomaeus,  178. 
Ziem,  Felix,  264. 
2k>ppo,  Marco,  67. 


Zorn,  A.,  268. 
Ziigel,  Heinrich,  314, 
Zuloaga,  Ign.,  270. 
Zurbaran,  146. 


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